


A Royal Christmas

by boone_missed



Series: Holidays are better with lesbians [3]
Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Don't take it seriously, Everybody Lives, F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, Holidays, dani and jamie make my life better, dani's got a secret, it's for fun and fluff i tell you, it's not a spoiler it's a hallmark christmas fanfic, peter quint gets slapped, shh she's a princess, the kiddos are precious, this isn't serious, yes - Freeform, yes i love the holidays why do you ask
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:35:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28143216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boone_missed/pseuds/boone_missed
Summary: “Hey there,” you call, startling her. “You lost or something?” Up this close your breath catches a bit as you take her in. She’s beautiful. Gorgeous. Breathtaking.---or---All Dani wants is to break free from the life she's trapped in. Luckily for her, one happy mistake sees her staying at Bly Manor for the holidays.
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Jamie, Dani Clayton/Jamie
Series: Holidays are better with lesbians [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055729
Comments: 28
Kudos: 164





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Yep. It's another holiday fic. It's another embarrassingly fluffy sickeningly sweet happy ending because I choose to believe the holidays can maybe still be magical type of fic. Have fun :)

You’re on a ladder stringing some coloured lights into the branches of a tree when you first see the figure trudging up the long drive pulling a suitcase in behind. It’s a woman, and your first thought is that it might be a friend of Henry’s, come to stay for the holidays. But so far as you know, Henry spends too much time looking at his work to have a social life. You know it’s not an acquaintance of Dominic and Charlotte- they would have told you. Then you think that maybe it’s some new conquest of Peter’s and so help you, you’ll actually do good on your threat to murder him if he’s cheating on Rebecca. But then you see the dreamy expression on the young woman’s face as she looked up at Bly Manor.

No acquaintance of Peter Quint would ever be so young and naïve after getting to know him.

Intrigued, you make your way down the ladder, stepping carefully on the slick rungs. It’s cold to boot and has been misting all morning. Flora keeps praying for a white Christmas and secretly you’d love to see one too. So far, though, it’s just been a lot of rain and mist and plummeting temperatures.

You meet the lady as she’s halfway up the drive. “Hey there,” you call, startling her. “You lost or something?” Up this close your breath catches a bit as you take her in. She’s beautiful. Gorgeous. Breathtaking. She’s blonde and exquisite and smiling at you even though your greeting was somewhat less than cordial.

“Hi! How are you doing?” She’s American, you think. That accent sounds American. But you’ve been wrong before. “I’ve booked a couple nights here. These grounds are amazing!”

You take a bit of pride in that, as the resident gardener and groundskeeper of Bly Manor. You’re still confused though. “Booked some nights?” you question.

The other woman nods, still grinning. “I was so excited to come across the Inn’s information in the phonebook. A quiet week away sounds exactly like what I was looking for!”

You understand in an instant, and you’re simultaneously relieved, amused, and disappointed. Relieved because this woman obviously doesn’t know Peter Quint and he therefore isn’t cheating on Becca. You swear that would’ve been the last straw for a man who’s already broken a good many. Amused because this has happened before, the odd time- a tourist who uses the wrong wording and a careless cab driver who refuses to use a map. There is an inn in Bly; Bly House, which is not to be confused with Bly Manor.

The disappointment you’re feeling confuses you a bit thought. Were you actually hoping this young, possibly American tourist might be staying here? Staying on the grounds where you might get to know her a bit better?

As this new beautiful stranger is still taking in the sights around her, not seeming to mind the disastrous weather, you ponder your next move. You could make a joke of it, you’ve done so before. Pretend this is the inn and walk the unsuspecting tourist inside where everyone could have a laugh. But you don’t want to play a joke on this girl. She’s too innocent, too excited about her week of solitude. At the same time, you don’t want to tell her the truth. You don’t want to see that amazing smile falter, not even for a moment. The decision, as it turns out, is taken away from you altogether.

“Oh hello!” The bright voice of Flora rings out, and you turn to see the seven year old approaching with a wide smile. “Jamie, I didn’t know you were bringing a friend for the holidays!”

You wince. Your beautiful stranger looks confused. “Yeah, uh Flora…she ain’t a…well, see she’s looking for Bly House.”

“Bly House?” The stranger isn’t smiling anymore, but you desperately want her to. She does, however, look alarmingly cute with a furrow in her brow. “Is this not Bly House?”

“It’s Bly Manor, actually,” you reply. You watch her mouth fall open, and her cheeks tint as surprise gives way to embarrassment. You feel stupid standing there, hands full of Christmas lights. This has never happened before. When tourists get lost they always get sent on their way and you never think twice about it. You’ve never felt so sorry about it.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry! The driver said he knew exactly where he was going and I must have gotten the name wrong! The phonebook didn’t have a picture just the description and the number and…”

“It’s no biggie, eh? Happens all the time.” And okay, it’s an exaggeration, but the relieved smile she flashes in your direction makes it worth it. “I can give you proper directions if ya like. Or, if it can wait ‘til I put this stuff away I can even drive you.”

“That simply will not do!” You look down at little Flora in surprise. She’s looking up at the stranger with almost as much adoration as you feel, though you reckon it’s not quite of the same variety. “You should stay here with us at Bly! Everyone is for the holidays!”

Oh to be young and innocent and carefree again, you think. “Flora, that’s not exactly how it works…”

“Of course it is! Everyone’s staying over the holidays! Even Uncle Henry is coming to stay. And Miss Jessel’s staying here with Peter and Owen’s staying and you’re staying. It’s going to all be perfectly splendid! We definitely have room for one more!”

And really, Flora isn’t wrong on any count. Everyone is staying at Bly over the holidays, Dominic and Charlotte insisted. Hannah lived on the grounds, and Rebecca didn’t want to travel to the other side of the country even though the Wingrave’s told her she could have two weeks off. She wanted to stay with Peter, who was always either glued to her side or Henry’s. And they had invited Owen to stay because this was his first Christmas without his mom and Charlotte couldn’t bear the thought of him being alone. And all of that left just Jamie who lived above a pub all alone and had no family to speak of. The Wingrave’s were too good to her, she knew that. But spending the holidays with what seemed like a family…Jamie couldn’t turn that down.

Flora wasn’t incorrect, either, in saying that they had more than enough room. Bly Manor could house twice that number of people and they’d still all be comfortable. The old manor had more bedrooms than was sensible, really.

But still…

“Well thank you very much for the invite, my kind lady.” The maybe American did a cute little curtsy to Flora and your heart stuttered a beat. “But I do think I should find the actual inn. They’re expecting me and I don’t want to impose here.”

“Oh no, you mustn’t!” Flora surged forward and grabbed the blonde by the hand. She began dragging her towards the front doors. “We’ll go talk to mommy and she’ll arrange everything. The more the merrier! This Christmas is going to be perfectly splendid!”

The stranger follows Flora but turns her head to look back at you, her expression a perfect mix of amused and bewildered. You can’t help but laugh. You are already well aware that it’s impossible to say no to Flora, and you don’t even like children, really. If you had to wager, you’d expect the young lady would be reading Flora bedtime stories soon. Flora was simply engaging and endearing like that.

You were curious about what would happen with Flora’s mad scheme, but you also really wanted to get going on the decorations. It was starting to get dark, though the grey sky had never gotten all that bright to begin with, and Dominic had given you a blank cheque and a free reign with your only instruction to make the grounds look as festive as possible. You were determined to make him proud. You turn your focus back to your task. Bly Manor was going to look festive _and_ regal by the time you were done with it.

\---

You’re back up on the ladder, sky beginning to dim, thinking about fate. Thinking about how this stranger showing up didn’t seem surprising or out of the ordinary, how it almost seemed inevitable in some way. And you weren’t a hopeless romantic; you would swear it up and down. But hey, if there were a Christmas miracle in store for you, you wouldn’t turn it down.

\---

It’s basically full dark by the time you finish up outside. Admittedly, you may have gone slightly overboard with the display. And you would deny you had a soft spot for Miles and Flora until the day you died. But honestly, you did it mostly for them. And a little bit for yourself…strictly out of pride of course. Not at all because deep down you were a big ol’ romantic when it came to the holiday season.

You couldn’t wait to take a nice warm bath- the guest room the Wingrave’s had set you up in had access to a giant soaker tub so unlike the little shower head with temperamental water pressure in your flat- but the smell of Owen’s cooking lures you to the kitchen instead. Hardly a day goes by where you don’t thank fate’s lucky stars that a chef trained in Paris ended up taking on a position in a small town like Bly.

The kitchen is bustling when you enter, filled with the slightly manic energy that could only come from children under ten just days before Christmas. Rebecca had all but given up trying to get them to settle, and Owen would no sooner discipline the kids than cook a bad meal. The man has a soft spot a mile wide. Even Hannah, normally the steadiest of the group, is sporting a smile as she watches the kids. And then- she had stayed. The blonde stranger is right there, sitting at the kitchen table looking rather content, her coat and hat nowhere to be seen. No doubt Flora’s puppy dog eyes had worked like a charm on both her mother and this mystery guest.

You walk over to the sink to wash your hands, turning the tap just a bit too far to try and warm up your frozen extremities. “Smells wonderful, Owen,” you compliment your friend.

“Just wait until you see what I have planned for dessert.” He brandishes the bowl he’s busy mixing. “I guarantee you’ve never had batter.”

“Come sit with us, Jamie,” Hannah beckons. “Grab a plate and join us. Dani was just telling us a bit about herself.”

_Dani._ You like it. It fit the girl. You briefly wonder if it’s short for anything, but then decide it really doesn’t matter. The name suits her quite well as is. So you fill your plate and join the group at the table, dodging around Miles and ruffling his hair as you do so. He huffs and crosses his arms at you. Miles had been going through a phase with his hair, styling it this way and that. It’s much better than the phase where he had tried to mimic Peter Quint’s wardrobe and mannerisms.

“So Dani, what brings you travelling all alone over the holidays?” Rebecca asks. “You don’t usually see the solo travellers at this time of year.”

“Not that we judge,” you cut in with a grin, “we’re all a ragtag bunch of misfits here ourselves.”

Dani shoots a quick smile in your direction before shrugging. “The holidays where I’m from…with my family…everything is always the same, always so stuffy and formal. It’s not really family time at all. Just felt like I needed a change this year. And…” Dani trails off, looking undecided. “I turn twenty five the day after Christmas. Not that…and then…I guess I just realized that I’ll be twenty five and never having done anything just for myself. Never done anything spontaneous and outside of what was expected me. So I just decided to do something spontaneous for once.”

“And why Bly?” Hannah asks. “Have you been here before?”

The blonde shakes her head. “My family travelled a lot, but it was always to big city centers. I’ve been to London, but it was time for something quieter this time around. I’ve had enough of cities for a while.”

“I like the big city,” Miles says. “Sometimes there just isn’t anything to do around here.”

“You could try doing your homework now and again,” Rebecca says with a smile. You like Becca. Sure, she hadn’t been around for as long as you, Hannah, or Owen. But over the last six months she had ingratiated herself as part of Bly. The kids absolutely love her.

“You give us too much homework,” Miles protests. But he, too, is sporting a smile.

“I’d say you’re lucky Miss Jessel didn’t give you any homework to do over the Christmas holidays.”

“Mommy!” Flora is up and out of her seat the instant Charlotte entered the kitchen. She and Dominic usually take dinner in the formal dining room when they aren’t off travelling, but the kids have always preferred eating in the kitchen where the rules weren’t as strict and they have better access to freebies from Owen.

“How’s mommy’s princess doing?” Charlotte asks, spinning Flora around in her arms. “And how is our new guest settling in? Are you making her feel welcome?”

Flora nodded. “I’m going to make a doll for Miss Dani. And it will be perfectly splendid!”

“I’m sure it will.” Charlotte sets Flora down, still holding her hand, and beckoned to her son. “Why don’t we have a movie night tonight?”

The kids cheered and sprinted from the kitchen. You knew they’d be sprinting to the den to have a worthy battle over which film to put on; Flora loved _Miracle on 34 th Street_ so much you were surprised she hadn’t worn the poor old VHS tape out. Miles would claim he’d rather watch a superhero film, but everyone knew he cried during _It’s a Wonderful Life_. For yourself, you had always been partial to _White Christmas_.

“Before I go wrangle the wild ones into their jammies, I just want to remind everyone that today concludes your working schedule. For the next two weeks, you’re all my guests.” Charlotte smiled warmly. “And Miss Clayton, do make yourself right at home. I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable here than at the inn…and I’ll do my best to keep Flora from waking you at five in the morning by jumping on your bed.”

“I love the Wingraves,” Owen sighed happily as he took a seat at the kitchen table. “They’re far too good to me.”

“How long have you all been working here?” Dani looks curious.

“Well Becca here is the baby out of us all…this fresh faced young lass has only been here about half a year,” Owen responds.

“If Rebecca’s the baby, does that make me the grandmother?” Hanna teased.

“Never. You’re the beautiful queen of this royal court.” You could’ve sworn you saw Dani squirm at Owen’s comment, but you couldn’t be sure.

“I’ve been with the Wingrave’s since Miles was just a baby,” Hannah said. “I hired Owen about four years back and Jamie joined us the following summer.”

Dani’s eyes lighted on each person as Hannah gestured, and when her gaze fell on you it felt somewhat electric. You could get lost in those blue eyes for days. But Jamie Taylor never was dorky or lacked confidence, you tell yourself. So you send Dani a wink and aren’t disappointed when she blushes and looks down at her hands.

“So what do you all like the most about working here?”

The conversation flowed easily between the five of you, only slowing a bit when Peter showed up. He was a smarmy excuse for a man, but Rebecca had fallen hard for him despite warnings from you, Hannah, and Owen. So far, you would give him, he hadn’t done anything too amiss. But you were watching him closely. The others, you knew, were watching him as well. Peter had a tendency to mix up love and possession, and leave a trail of broken young women in his wake. You often thought it was funny that you both came from troubled beginnings but ended up so differently. At least, you’d like to think you weren’t an asshole. Not all the time, anyhow.

“Well what should we all do with our first night of freedom?” Owen asks after the wine glasses had been emptied for a second time.

“Sleep.” It’s something between a laugh and a groan, and you grin across the table at Becca. No doubt she’s had a more and more difficult time keeping the kids’ attention. “I think I’ve gotten less and less as December goes by…those kids are just getting so excited!”

Gradually you all head off to your respective rooms. You were certain that Peter would sneak into Rebecca’s, and you were equally as certain that Hannah and Owen wanted to spend the night together but neither would make the first move. As for you, you were looking forward to finally taking that warm bath.

There wasn’t a single room in Bly that hadn’t been decorated for the holidays in some form by Flora, and the bathroom was no exception. There were decorative snowmen on the vanity, holly lining the doorways, and a three foot tall ceramic Santa in the corner who never failed to give you the creeps. His painted on expression was the stuff of nightmares. You turn him around backwards before getting undressed. Nightmares aside, you had no interest in a creepy ceramic Santa watching you get into the tub.

The bubble bath left out was labelled “Holiday Dream” and you sigh contentedly as you sink down into peppermint scented bubbles. Celebrating Christmas at Bly Manor was certainly going to be special.

After spending probably just a bit too long in the bath, you finally step out and pat dry, running a towel through your curls before knotting your robe around your waist to head back to your room and go to bed. Quietly opening the door, so as to not disturb anyone, you tiptoe out into the hallway and promptly have a mini heart attack when you bump into someone else in the dark. Maybe those townie rumours about Bly Manor being haunted were true after all.

“Sorry!”

“Jesus, Dani!” you exhale. “Ya sure know how to give a girl a heart attack.” It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. When they do, you saw Dani standing before you in rather adorable reindeer jammies looking a bit anxious. “It’s all good,” you quickly try to soothe. “But next time just ask if you want to join me in the bath, yeah?”

Dani’s eyes not so subtly travel down your body, taking in your slight lack of dress, and you can’t help but feel a bit cocky. And a bit excited, honestly. Dani looks even more anxious, but also something else, something you hoped was a bit of what you were feeling. Maybe the instant attraction flowed both ways. Maybe the instant connection you felt to this stranger wasn’t completely unrequited.

“Um I wasn’t…I didn’t…this was the bathroom Flora said I should use,” Dani mumbles. She motioned back over her shoulder. “That’s my room right across the hall.”

You smirk. “Looks like we’re neighbours Clayton. I’m sure we can’t think of anything fun to do with that bit of information.” Dani bites her bottom lip. It’s hard to tell in the dark, but you think maybe she’s blushing. You decide that maybe you should give the poor girl a break from the teasing. “In all seriousness, you’re going to love it here over Christmas. I think it’s a happy accident that your cabbie brought you here.”

Dani smiles. Even in the darkness it shakes you to your core with its beauty. “I hope so.”

“Well, I know so,” you say confidently. “Sometimes running away doesn’t have to be running away…sometimes it’s running to something instead.”

“How do you know I’m running away?” Dani asks quietly.

“Just a hunch I got from you. Besides, everyone’s running away from something. I know the feeling.” There’s silence between the two of you for a moment, but it doesn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable. In fact, it feels powerful. You notice how close you’re standing to Dani. You wonder if she’d let you kiss her once you get to know each other better. “Anyway,” you say finally, “guess I better let you get to bed. I can show you around Bly tomorrow, if you want. Take you on some Christmas adventures.”

“That would be fun,” says Dani softly. “I’d really enjoy that. Goodnight Jamie.”

“Goodnight, Dani.”

It takes you far too long to fall asleep that night on the far too comfortable mattress you were lying on. You were having a hard time getting Dani out of your head and a smile off your lips. Deep down, despite every let down you’ve ever had, you always became a bit of a softy around Christmas. Maybe, finally, that hopeless optimism of the season would come true.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’re smiling sappily at Dani, and she’s returning the expression. You think maybe you’re leaning in closer to her, foreheads almost touching, but it’s hard to know for sure

“Oh my gosh, Jamie, look…puppies!”

Like a five year old on Christmas morning you see Dani take off, practically skipping over to where a woman was holding the leash of two dogs, both dressed up in festive coverings. You couldn’t help but laugh and find her enthusiasm contagious.

“What are their names?” Dani asks the owner, having already got permission to pet the canines. They were melting into Dani’s touch, and you couldn’t blame them. You felt like you would probably do the same if given the chance.

After breakfast- which was supposed to be Charlotte cooking but Owen couldn’t resist chipping in- you had decided to show Dani the outdoor Bly Christmas Market. You had already been, but it was always a nice treat for the city folk and tourists alike. There were countless stalls filled with homemade baked goods and Christmas decorations, and carolers singing to entertain the shoppers, and some of the best decorations around…apart from your own display, of course. People from all around came to Bly for the Market. You thought Dani might enjoy it, and so far you hadn’t been disappointed.

Dani was taking in everything with a smile on her face and a spring in her step. She stopped at every stall, and you noticed that she seemed to get more freebies than anyone else. It seemed you weren’t the only one who was swayed Dani’s infectious charm. Despite the giveaways, Dani made sure to buy at least a little something from every single artisan. It wasn’t long before you were laden down carrying Dani’s bags, but you didn’t mind even a single bit. Dani was worth it. Seeing her happy…it made you feel lighter than you had in a long time. You knew you were falling too quickly, and you knew it was dangerous. You hadn’t even known this woman for twenty four hours and already you felt perfectly at ease with her. It wasn’t like you at all, but you honestly didn’t care. Dani was worth it.

“I love dogs!” Dani gushes after getting her fill of cuddles. “I wish I could have one of my own.”

“Why can’t you?” you question.

Dani frowns. “My mother is allergic to dogs. Can’t have one in the pa…place where I’m from. House...er, where I’m from. Our house.”

“What, you gonna live with your mom forever?” You immediately regret it when you ask. Not everyone comes from money and is able to break free at a young age. You know that better than anyone. You shouldn’t judge.

Dani, to her credit, doesn’t look upset at all by the question. “One day I may have a vacation home I can at least visit at times. But it’s expected in my family we all keep living in the same house. Every generation, passed down from one to the next.”

You’re impressed by that. The only thing your parents ever passed down to you was a high drinking tolerance and an everlasting distrust of people.

“Oh wow!” Dani breathes, and you turn to see her gazing with wonder at the crystal figurines one vendor had set up. “These are amazing!”

The vendor is an elderly local woman, Mary, and you know how important her work was to her. Mary had lost her only daughter a few years back, and the only thing which ever made her smile seemed to be her craft. Except now she’s smiling warmly at Dani, bigger and brighter than you’ve ever seen.

It takes Dani forever to decide on what figurine to get. There are reindeer with perfectly sculpted antlers, and a Christmas tree which on a sunny day would catch the light perfectly. There are angels and angel wings, and wreaths and flowers and dogs and kittens. Mary always had something for everyone. Finally, Dani narrows down to two- a beautiful flower which you’re quite sure Dani has no idea the meaning of or that it’s your favourite, and a gorgeous and sparkling carousel horse. Unable to decide, she turns and asks for your opinion.

“Well I’m biased,” you say with a smile. “As a gardener of course flowers are close to my heart…the moonflower closer than the rest.”

Dani’s gaze meets yours, and for a moment you simply look deep into her eyes. That connection you’ve felt with her since the very beginning seemed to spark with electricity.

“Then it’s decided,” Dani says firmly. “You have to buy the flower for yourself.” She gives you a smile before turning back to Mary. “I’ll take the carousel.”

You watch as Dani pays for and takes the delicate, wrapped package with care. She moves on to the next stall after thanking Mary, which features kids selling Christmas cookies, and Dani’s squeal of delight would have decided you if you hadn’t made up your mind already.

“I’ll take the moonflower,” you tell Mary quietly. “But…do you think you could gift wrap it for me?”

Mary’s smile is a bit too knowing as she places the figure in a box and wraps it perfectly. And sure, it’s probably too expensive and personal for a gift for someone you’ve literally just met. But Dani’s worth it. You were sure of it.

\---

“But I wanted to go skating tonight!” Flora is in distress. Everyone was looking out the windows to the grounds of Bly Manor, which were currently being doused with cold rain. “And we were going to look at all of Jamie’s lights!”

“We can do that tomorrow night, kiddo,” you promise, ruffling her hair.

Beside you, Peter snorts. “Yeah sure. If it ever stops raining like this.”

There had been several occasions on which you would have liked nothing better than to give Peter a black eye, and this was one of them. Peter fucking Quint, you think, always raining on everyone’s parade.

“We can still have fun tonight!” Charlotte was never one to see her children disappointed. “This seems like the perfect night for the special Christmas story time you’ve both been preparing, doesn’t it!”

The children cheered while your smile and those of the other adults all became a bit fixed. Story time was cute in a way, you suppose, but it was also akin to watching a school pageant or something. Lots of cuteness, but little in the way of actual talent. The only one who looked genuinely excited was Dani, bless her. Then again, she had no idea what she was in for.

“I think this calls for some wine,” Owen mutters as Miles and Flora run upstairs to get into their costumes.

“I’m going to need something stronger than wine.” Henry, just having arrived earlier that morning, looks more tired than you’ve seen him before. “I think it’s time I bring out the scotch.”

You manage to snag a chair beside Dani when the kids begin their story time. It’s a strangely cute mix of theatre and storytelling, of overacting and genuine enthusiasm. Flora, naturally, is cute as a button with a pair of angel wings strapped to her back and a halo hanging over her head on a pipe cleaner. Miles initially looked less than enthused to be wearing a pair of elf ears, but his sister’s energy was contagious and soon enough his words and actions become less wooden. You enjoyed their story time more than you thought you would. It’s either because you’re on your third glass of whiskey or because Dani kept leaning into your side as she laughed.

After about an hour and a half of story time, Dominic put his foot down and hollered about bedtime. Story time had since devolved into manic children and slightly inebriated adults simply horsing around. You had Flora on your back and Miles was up on Owen’s shoulders, and Henry had unearthed some of Charlotte’s tartan holiday pillows, and it was all a bit chaotic. It was a giant, festive, happy pillow fight, and Flora was digging her heels into sides to urge you on faster. Across the room you catch Dani’s eye. She’s looking at you fondly, and you forget for a minute that you were doing battle with Owen. His pillow catches across the face and you feel your knees buckle, landing on the floor in a heap with Flora giggling delightedly on top you.

Dominic and Charlotte eventually manage to corral the kids and they say their goodnights while trudging up the main staircase with their parents. You’re too keyed up- or too drunk- to sleep, and looking around you think the other adults feel the same.

“It’s stopped raining,” Becca points out. “We should have a bonfire!”

“Are you bloody outta your mind?” Your voice cracks slightly in your tipsy indignation. “It’s bloody freezing outside!”

“The fire would keep us warm,” Henry intones, and you wonder if his recklessness is from his being drunk, his desire to fit in with you younger lot, or something else altogether. Henry’s always been a bit distant, but he seems more off than usual to you.

“I’ve always wanted to go out in a blaze of glory.” You roll your eyes fondly at Owen. Owen and his bloody puns. “Let’s give it a whirl at least. We’ve got nothing to lose.”

You shake your head. “Except our fingers to frostbite,” you mutter. But Dani, you can see, looks excited at the prospect, and that’s all it takes to convince you. Everyone separates for a bit to put on their coats and hats and mittens. Owen and Henry grab far too many bottles and glasses from the kitchen, and Hannah is the only one wise enough to think of getting any blankets. You feel slightly guilty as you watch her stagger under their weight. You take some from her to help.

The air is frigid and the ground is damp. Actually, it’s beyond damp. Your socks are wet by the time you make it to the fire pit. But the boys are determined, and Peter is being oddly helpful as he assists Owen with building the fire.

You help Becca retrieve some chairs and benches and arrange them in a circle around the pit. The sky is dark but filled with stars, and even though you can see your breath and your toes are already numb you start to think this may not be such a terrible idea after all. When Dani sits beside you on your bench, sitting closer than necessary really, you think it could actually be a grand idea. Hannah passes you a blanket, and you drape it over both your laps. Dani snuggles even closer. You’re glad it’s dark so Hannah can’t see the pleased flush on your cheeks. Though you do feel her eyes on you and wonder if she’ll say something at some point.

Eventually the fire is blazing. Between that and the alcohol you’ve consumed, you’re actually starting to warm up.

“Here’s to Christmastime at Bly Manor!” Owen hoists his glass up and the rest of you followed suit. Everyone had been making toasts for several minutes, and even though it was the lamest drinking game you’d ever played, it was making Dani chuckle quite often. Her laugh was music to your ears. “May it be the happiest Christmas in all the lands!”

“Here’s to love!” The look Peter is giving Becca is closer to poorly disguised lust than love, but you drink anyway.

“Here’s to family,” Hannah says warmly. You have no problem drinking to that.

Henry spills a few drops as he lifts his glass up for his turn. He’s downed more than anyone so far, and you’re vaguely surprised he hasn’t collapsed yet. “Here’s to 1988. I can’t wait to see what the joy that it will bring!”

Your glass is empty. You hadn’t noticed until you went to drink to Henry’s toast. The world is spinning a bit. Or maybe it’s just your head. It’s a bit hard to tell. It’s harder than it should be to pour from the wine bottle in your hand. In the morning you’ll probably hate yourself for mixing whiskey and wine. But right now you’re happily drunk and surrounded by friends and a beautiful woman is curled into your side. Said beautiful woman nudges you and you look down at her and smile. You want to tell her that her eyes are the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. Except for her smile. That could be even more beautiful. You want to tell her this, but instead you just keep smiling at her.

“It’s your turn, silly.” Dani laughs at you. “Make your toast; don’t keep everyone waiting!”

“Oh right.” You take a big gulp of your wine and thrust your glass up high. “Here’s to lesbians!”

There’s a mixture of laughter and cat calling at that. Even Peter fucking Quint, the only one at Bly who was openly antagonistic about your sexuality, is laughing. Beside you, however, Dani is silent and suddenly stiff. You want to ask her about it, but you’re scared to do so. So instead you just down your glass and pour yourself another.

\---

It’s late. You don’t know exactly what time but you know it’s late. Henry’s asleep in his chair, head fallen forward with his chin touching his chest. He’s going to have a hell of a sore neck in the morning, you think. Rebecca and Peter had headed inside a while ago, but something had been wrong, you remember. Becca had gotten mad at Peter about…something. Your memories were fuzzy. But you’d talk to her in the morning and if Peter needed straightening out you’d gladly punch him. Hannah and Owen were in their own world, leaned into each other and looking up at the stars. They were whispering back and forth, and you suddenly felt like you were intruding on them.

“Hey, Dani.” You nudge the girl beside you. She was fully wrapped in the blanket you had previously been sharing, and seemed to be dozing off. “Clayton, wake up.”

“Hmm…wha…Jamie?” The blonde is adorable in her drunken sleepiness. “I’m awake.” She forces her eyes wide. “I’m awake.”

You grin. “Glad to hear it. Wanna take a walk with me?”

Dani’s on her feet in an instant, looking adorably excited. It takes you a bit longer to join her- your legs are wobbly and you’re apparently drunker than you thought. But finally you manage. You lead Dani away from the dwindling fire and into the trees. You keep walking until you reach one of your greenhouses. It’s dark inside, and you turn on one of the lanterns you keep by the door. You’re struck by the thought of how you wish you could bring Dani here in the spring, when your plants are blooming and beautiful. You wonder if you’ll still know her then. The thought causes a pang of sadness in your chest.

There’s a bench in the middle of the greenhouse and you plop down, patting the space beside you. Dani doesn’t think twice before sitting beside you, still tortilla’d in her blanket. The bench is usually covered with dirt, but you hadn’t thought of before you sat down. Too late now, you think, mentally shrugging.

“How’s your first time of staying at Bly going?” You think you’re not as coherent as you’d like to be.

Dani just smiles. “It’s amazing. When I planned this trip I never thought…this is more than anything I expected.”

You return her smile, taking a swig from the bottle you had brought with you. Ugh. You groan. You hadn’t realized you had grabbed a bottle of brandy. Perhaps it was time to stop drinking for the night.

“Well we’re glad to have you here, Dani. It feels…it just feels really fucking good to have you here and be getting to know you.” You’re smiling sappily at Dani, and she’s returning the expression. You think maybe you’re leaning in closer to her, foreheads almost touching, but it’s hard to know for sure. Dani’s expression turns more sober, and you think maybe you need to lighten the mood. “So what’re you getting me for Christmas, Clayton?”

Dani laughs. “I’ve known you for a day…what makes you think you’re special enough to warrant receiving a gift from me?”

You gasp, feigning hurt. “After all I’ve done for you? I knew I shoulda chucked you straight outta here when you first came up the path. I could tell you were trouble.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.” You were joking, but Dani’s quiet and serious and looking at you in the flickering lantern light like you’re everything and it’s a bit overwhelming. “But also, you’re just going to have to wait until Christmas morning to see your gift.”

“Noooooo,” you groan. You drop your head onto Dani’s shoulder, mumbling into her coat. “Why do you have to be so cruel? Don’t make me wait that long, Clayton!”

“You’re going to be one of those people who will keep badgering for clues and trying to find where I’ve hidden your present, aren’t you?”

You sit back up, feigning indignation. “Me? Never!”

The two of you share a laugh, and then a comfortable silence overtakes you. You’ve never been one to feel so at ease with a person you’ve just met. You’ve never been one to let your guard down so easily and so quickly. But it’s easy with Dani. It’s so easy that it should scare you, really. But it doesn’t scare you. It excites you, and enthralls you, but it doesn’t scare you. You think that Dani may be the only person in existence who could bypass your walls and dismantle your defences so easily. And you think that she may be the only person you’ll ever trust to do so. Dani could never hurt you, somehow you know that.

Despite the shelter of the greenhouse, you’re starting to get cold again. You can’t supress a shiver, and Dani must feel it.

“Oh gosh, Jamie, I’m so sorry! I’m over here just being a big old blanket hog.” You smile at that. Dani unwraps her tortilla and drapes the blanket around your shoulders as well. You expect her to put the blanket down and withdraw her arm, but she keeps it wrapped around your shoulders and pulls you in close. “Better?” she asks. You simply nod. Your heart is in your throat. You don’t think you’re exactly capable of forming words. “Jamie…can I ask you something kind of…personal?”

It’s hard to discern her expression in the low light. “What’s up, Clayton?”

“Last night…you, uh, you made a comment about how everyone is running away from something. What are you running from?” You’re silent for a moment, and it causes Dani to panic. “I’m so sorry, that’s way too intrusive, isn’t it? I mean, we’ve only just met and that’s probably a really heavy topic and…”

“Hey, Clayton, chill out, okay?” You give her a playful nudge. “I’ll let ya know if you ever cross any lines okay? I’ve just…I don’t talk about my past with many people. Hannah, Owen, and Becs know, as my friends, and the Wingrave’s know what they have to as my employers but, outside of that…” you trail off.

“I get it!” Dani says quickly. “You totally don’t have to tell me anything!”

“I want to,” you say quietly. “That’s the bloody crux of it, Dani, I want to tell you. And I’ve never wanted to tell anyone, really.” You think about it for a moment, and then decide the hell with it. You’re already in too deep with this girl, what’s a little deeper going to hurt? And you think you’re just too drunk to stop yourself, really. There’s something about Dani that invites you to open up. “I’m the type of story you hear about all the time,” you begin. “Me mom runs off, dad works too hard and too long to compensate. It was just me and me brothers, and hell, I was just a kid myself. I couldn’t take care of myself let alone two little ones.

“I did pretty well for a while though. Until one day, I just wasn’t watching closely enough…forgot about the water I was boiling to try and make supper and Mikey…they took us all away from dad after he got hurt. Put us into the system. We all got separated.” You take a deep breath. “It’s no way to grow up like that, being bounced around from one overcrowded house to another. My brothers may have had it easier, they were way younger when they went in. They had a better chance of being adopted.”

“Do you know if they did get adopted?” Dani asks quietly.

You shake your head. “No idea where any of ‘em are now. Mikey, Denny, mom and dad…I’ve never looked for ‘em. In all fairness, they’ve never looked for me either.” The arm Dani has around your shoulders pulls you in a bit closer, holds you a bit tighter, and damn it if it isn’t the best thing you’ve ever felt. “I was bounced around the system for years. Never spent too long in any one place, and found it pretty easy to fall in with the wrong crowd. Got tired of it when I was sixteen, so I just up and run off. Didn’t even think about it really, it was the easiest thing to do.

“The streets were an even worse place to grow up, as it turned out. Oh there were always a lot of people willing to get you what you needed…for a price. And there was never enough food but always too many temptations. It was too easy to go down the wrong path. It was almost a relief when I got picked up and chucked into prison. It was in there that I finally turned things around a bit. Decided it was time to stop feeling sorry for myself. Discovered I liked plants way better than I did most people. When I got out, I had something to do, something to keep myself busy. Whenever I thought about falling back into old habits I asked myself who was gonna take care of my plants if I did that?

“Never thought I’d get this job when I applied for it, to tell the truth. I had been kicking around Sussex for a while, eventually found myself in Bly. Was trying to open up a flower shop without having any money to rent out a shop when Owen came across me one night in the pub. We got to talking, and he told me about this place, the Manor. It seemed too good to be true really, but Dominic and Charlotte believe in giving people second chances. So here I am.”

Dani’s quiet for a few minutes. You’re slightly stiff by her side, nervous to see what her reaction is going to be. Your truth, your story…you know it’s ugly. You know it makes people see you differently. And with most people, you truly don’t care how they react. But with Dani, you do.

“I think you’re amazing,” Dani finally says. “To overcome what you have…thank you for telling me Jamie.”

Once again, you find yourself unable to reply. Your words get stuck in your throat and you feel heavy with emotion. You didn’t know if Dani was aware of what she was doing to you. But if Dani was going to give you a reason to not keep falling for her, she was going to have to do it quickly.

“I am running away.” The statement catches you a bit off guard and sit up slightly, leaning away to look at Dani. She’s staring down at the ground, and even in the flickering light you can tell she looks serious and sad.

“What are you running from?”

“Expectations. Duties. A life I’ve never wanted.” Dani exhales. “A fiancé.”

“Blimey.” You suddenly feel like you shouldn’t be snuggling with someone engaged and you make to pull away. But Dani’s hold on you tightens as if she can feel you preparing for escape.

“I don’t love him,” she says, sounding on the verge of tears. “I’ve never felt anything for him. But I don’t have a choice in the matter. I’m expected to marry him; it’s been decided for us practically since the day we were born.”

“When’s the wedding?”

“My birthday,” Dani whispers.

“Christ, Clayton that’s only…”

“Six days away, yeah.” Dani chuckles, but you can tell it’s forced. “That’s why I ran. I panicked. For a few years I kept telling myself that it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, to marry a guy like Eddie. I’d never want for anything. It may not have been a dream, but it wouldn’t be a nightmare, at least. But then…I figured something out about myself. I’ve realized something, and getting married to Eddie wouldn’t just be a sacrifice. It would be a complete denial of who I really am. It would be living a complete lie. I just…I don’t think I can do it. I’ve never loved him, but now I want to be true to myself. No, I _need_ to be true to myself.”

You swallow. “What is it you figured out ‘bout yourself?” You practically hold your breath as you wait for Dani’s answer.

But she doesn’t answer. At least, she doesn’t answer verbally. You feel her cold hand sneak under the blanket to rest over your own. You freeze. You feel her thumb brush over your knuckles. It’s tentative, soft, but at the same time…certain. You know what she’s trying to tell you. And maybe it’s wrong, she has a fiancé but…you uncurl your hand. You entwine your fingers with Dani’s. You’re holding hands and her arm around your shoulders brushes back and forth across your coat. The two of you aren’t looking at each other, but you still feel connected to her. Tucking your head into the crook of her neck feels like the most natural thing in the world, and she lets out a contented sigh as you do.

“I’ve known for a while that I couldn’t marry him,” Dani whispers. “But I’ve never been brave enough to say it. So I ran. I ran, hoping I could put off what I couldn’t bring myself to say. But then I came here and I found you and…Jamie I’m not getting married.” Dani sounds firm now, resolved. “I’m not getting married to him, I won’t.”

“I know Clayton.” You press your lips gently to the skin of her neck. “I know.”

\---

It’s late- or early depending how you look at it- when you finally make your way back inside. The grandfather clock under the stairs shows it’s almost two in the morning. You’re frozen right down to your core but you’re also filled with a budding warmth. It does nothing to help your stiff fingers or toes, but it sure does wonders for the soul.

You and Dani had emerged from the greenhouse to discover the fire had been extinguished and abandoned. Henry wasn’t face down in the dirt, so you assumed Owen and Hannah had woken him and helped him back inside to bed. Dani had held your hand the entire way back to the Manor, and only let go as you both stripped your coats and boots.

“I’m so cold.” Her teeth are chattering, but Dani’s still grinning.

“Tell me ‘bout it,” you agree. “Probably not the smartest thing to have a bonfire at this time of the year.”

“I had fun though.” Dani’s looking bashful as she says it, not quite meeting your eye.

You take her hand again, linking your fingers and giving it a squeeze. “Me too.” You share a smile before making your way upstairs. You lead Dani to her room first, planning on dropping her off like the chivalrous person you are. As you reach her door, you open your mouth to say goodnight when you’re distracted by something hanging from the door frame above her head. Your words catch in your throat.

“Jamie? What is…oh.” Dani sees it now too. Mistletoe is hanging above you both. Your money is on Hannah. There’s no way Flora would’ve been able to get that up that high without help, and for such a level headed person Hannah can be sneaky like that. “Um…so I guess…”

Dani’s bravado is gone. She looks nervous. As much as you’d like to take full advantage and blame it on the mistletoe, you respect her more than that. You step closer to her, placing your hands lightly on her hips. She freezes under your touch. Moving slowly, giving her time to back away if she wants, you touch your lips to her cheek, lingering a bit.

“Goodnight Dani,” you say. You kiss her again, this time on the corner of her lips. The slightest sound escapes her, and you grin. “Sleep well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got to wear pajamas to work today, so you know, #winning. How are y'all doing? Thanks for making it this far. Even if I only get five hits, those five readers make it totally worth it. Good day friends!


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You feel Dani nuzzle into your neck and you smile. Nobody has commented on it yet, but they keep sending you knowing, suggestive glances. Yeah, you were being undone rather easily by a young tourist. You didn’t care at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: some homophobia in this chapter

“Owen don’t you dare…Owen! Stop it!” You’re laughing and yelling but definitely losing your balance, and you finally land on the ice with a huff. You glare up at Owen standing above you.

“The ladies just can’t resist falling for me, no matter where I go.”

“Stop teasing, Owen,” Hannah admonishes. You almost thank her when… “It’s not Jamie’s fault she’s Bambi on ice.”

You take Owen’s proffered hand to help you up, brushing snow off your pants. “I don’t know why I put up with the pair of you.” But you’re laughing, and honestly you don’t think anything could dampen your spirits that morning. Except, perhaps, for looking like a complete fool in front of the lady you already had a desperate crush on. That ship had already sailed, however. From the moment you all stepped onto the ice rink you were a disaster and Dani was quite literally skating circles around you.

It had been a slow start that morning. The kids were lively and most of you were sitting in the kitchen wincing at their loud voices and rubbing your temples. There was a decidedly frosty air between Rebecca and Peter, and if your head hadn’t been pounding so much you would’ve asked about it. But then Dani had walked in, and you remembered your conversation, and her whispered confessions, and how she blushed when you kissed her cheek and suddenly your hangover hadn’t seemed quite so bad.

“Heads up!” Dani comes to a sudden stop right in front of you, startling you and spraying your pants with ice chips. You wobble on your rented skates, swearing.

“No sudden movements around this one,” Owen warns, laughing. “She’s easily startled.”

And okay, you hate looking like an incompetent fool in front of Dani. You were used to being the worst one of the group, as you went out to an ice rink maybe once a year. But Dani blew everyone out of the water. She still hadn’t told you exactly where she was from, but seeing how she skated you were starting to suspect Canada. That’s where all the hockey players were, right?

“Come on, Jamie, I’ll help you!” She’s facing you, holding out her hands palm up. But you have a death grip on the boards and you’re not letting go. “Jamie, trust me!”

And well, she just had to say that, didn’t she?

Sighing heavily, you let go of the boards. Instantly you feel yourself slipping and throw yourself at Dani, practically falling into her outstretched arms. She lets out a cute little ‘oof’. You feel your cheeks flush. You suppose it’s only fair that Dani gets to witness you without your confidence just one time, but you hope this isn’t ruining her impression of you being suave.

“Straighten up a bit,” she orders. You want to tell her that’s easier said than done, but it’s Dani. You’re quickly realizing that if Dani told you to jump off a bridge you’d do it straight away. “Now push your feet back on the diagonal.” She’s skating backwards, holding your hands to support you. “There you go, that’s better! No don’t use your toe pick you’re going to…Jamie!”

The infernal toe pick on your right skate had tripped you up, and you went down again. This time you took Dani with you. You’re both a tangle of limbs down on the ice, and you can feel how heated your face is from embarrassment. Dani’s simply laughing.

Owen skates up. “What a trick. Six point o’s across the boards for the perfectly executed double axel-dent!”

\---

You’re fairly sore by the time the hour is up at the public rink. You’d lost count of the number of times you had fallen, but you wouldn’t be surprised if your entire backside was bruised by the next morning. It was hard to deny that you had had fun, though. Miles and Flora had a blast, and you had gotten to hold onto Dani for most of it. So really, you’d trade a bit of soreness for that.

At the moment though, you had been separated from your beautiful blonde tourist as everybody exited to the car park. Rebecca had practically glued herself to your side and was staying well away from Peter. You watch as Dani gets into Dominic’s car with Charlotte and the kids and can’t help but pout a bit. There was a not so small part of you hoping that Dani would ride back to the Manor with you.

“Guess it’s just you and me, Becs.” Everyone else had a ride, but Becca honestly didn’t look that upset about it.

It takes about ten minutes of driving before Rebecca speaks. “I broke up with Peter last night.” You’re stunned. “He thought it was just because I was drinking…did you see how cute he was being with the kids this morning? He thinks I’m not serious, but I am.”

“Why’d ya do it?” You’re not the most tactful person when it comes to feelings, you’ve always known this about yourself.

“I’ve been noticing things. Little things. All things you, Hannah, and Owen warned me about with Peter.” Becca sighed. “He’s been really controlling lately. Quite possessive. And…he keeps borrowing money from me that I never see again. At first it wasn’t much…twenty here, fifty there…but a month ago he convinced me to invest some money and I’m sure it’s a scam. I know it’s crappy of me to do this so soon to Christmas but…”

“Hey, hey, stop that!” you cut her off. “You’re looking out for yourself, Becca. This isn’t your fault. There’s no good time to realize that you’re not meant to be with someone.”

“I just let myself be so drawn in by him! His accent and his looks and his charm…I ignored all the warning signs for so long.”

“Peter’s an ass. You deserve better, I’ve thought so for a while.” You flash her a quick, reassuring smile. “You’re doing good by you, Becs.”

“Thanks Jamie. You’re a big softie deep down, I’ve thought so for a while.” You scowl at her, but Becca just laughs. She pops a tape into your tape deck and holiday music starts playing. As nice as it is, you can’t wait to hide that tape again straight away the day after Christmas. “You know…now that I’m newly single I have some time on my hands to play matchmaker. I could start with you and a certain blonde haired, blue eyed tourist?”

Rebecca practically cackles as you feel yourself turn about ten shades of red. Did everyone see how you looked at Dani? Nobody at Bly was ever going to let you live this down.

\---

“Jamie, stop delaying!”

You shoot Miles a look. You’re not delaying at all. Delaying is the exact opposite of what you’re doing. You’re simply double checking that everything is connected correctly and the plugs are all in and no wires are tangled and…

“Jamie come on, we’re all freezing our arses off out here!”

“Language Peter,” Hannah admonishes, making you grin. But then a moment later she joins in the heckling. “You are planning on showing us your wonderful light display before it’s actually Christmas, right?”

“Alright, alright,” you mutter. You put your hand on the switch, ready to turn everything on.

You don’t know why you’re so nervous about this. They’re just Christmas lights. This is the third year now where you’ve decked out Bly Manor in festive spirit and everyone’s always been impressed by your work. But for some reason this year feels different. It could be because you convinced Dominic to put up the funds for an entirely new haul of decorations. Or it could be because this was the first Christmas you were staying at Bly for the holidays. You didn’t want to disappoint Dominic and Charlotte or the kids. You wanted to show them how grateful you were for their hospitality. Or, of course, your nerves could be coming from the one specific individual you cared far too much about impressing.

“Okay you ragamuffins, here we go.” You let out a deep breath and flip the switch.

The vast house and grounds are instantly bathed in light. You had gone to great lengths to cover everything out in the front of the Manor in colourful, yet tasteful, lights. You had decked out the windows and the parapet and the columns and the stairs. There were lights spiralling up and down trees and figures of reindeer on the lawn. Suddenly you’re unsure of yourself- maybe you went completely overboard and it’s nothing but a tacky display.

“Jamie, it’s incredible!” Owen laughs.

“Well done, Miss Taylor.” You can hear the pride in Dominic’s voice and you breathe a little easier. It wasn’t like you had come to view the Wingrave’s as surrogate parents or anything but…okay maybe it was exactly like that. He sounded proud of you, and goddammit it almost brought tears to your eyes.

Flora was squealing in delight and running to and fro on the lawns to examine everything. Miles was staring up at his home with a big smile on his face, the lights reflected in his eyes. Hannah gives you a wide smile, and Rebecca shoots you a thumbs up. You’re searching for Dani when suddenly you hear her voice in your ear.

“Quite an impressive display, Miss Taylor.” You shiver a bit. “This is better than anything I’ve seen. And I’ve been to Disney at Christmastime.”

You turn to face her fully. “Well I’ll have you know I’m a professional.” You pantomime a tip of the brim of your nonexistent hat. “Jamie Taylor, festive light perfectionist, at your service.”

Dani laughs. “You’re crazy.” But then she wraps her arms around you and you settle into her embrace comfortably. “I’ve always loved Christmas lights,” Dani sighs. You rest your head on her chest, feeling her heartbeat. “They’re always so pretty. So bright. It’s impossible to be sad when you’re looking at the lights. Absolutely impossible.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been sad all day until now.”

“How could I be sad when I was laughing so hard at you falling on the ice?” You try to pull back from her embrace so you can smack her, but Dani just hugs you tighter. “I’ve been sad for a long time.” She’s quieter now. “I’ve been so sad. But then I got here and I haven’t been sad since. I’m starting to think you’re my Christmas lights, Jamie.”

You don’t think anyone’s ever said anything so romantic to you before.

The kids are put to bed early that night. They’ve signed up to volunteer at a soup kitchen the next day, and Dominic and Charlotte want them well rested. The rest of you are sitting around the fire in the living room, sipping at wine. Nobody wants to go as crazy as the night before, but sipping wine around the fireplace on a night late in December just seems fitting. Peter is off in a chair in the corner, appearing sulky. Rebecca, Hannah, and Owen all occupy the couch opposite from you. You’re settled on a loveseat, Dani leaned into your side with her head resting on your shoulder.

The conversation is light and casual. Everyone seems content, with the exception of Peter. But he’s not making an ass of himself, and that’s something. Rebecca seems lighter somehow, more smiley. Hannah and Owen are angled toward one another, and you wonder for nth time when one of them will finally make a move. Even a blind man could see how in love with each other they are, but yet neither one will make the first move. You don’t know if it’s out of shyness or something else. All you want is for your friends to be happy.

You feel Dani nuzzle into your neck and you smile. Nobody has commented on it yet, but they keep sending you knowing, suggestive glances. When you had first sat down and Dani curled right into you like it was the most natural thing in the world Hannah had looked at you with an eyebrow cocked and a smirk playing at lips. Yeah, you were being undone rather easily by a young tourist. You didn’t care at all.

“Are you tired?” you ask Dani quietly, angling your head to look down at her. She shakes her head, smiling. “Do you want some more wine?” Again she shakes her head. Dani simply cuddles into you further, and you feel like you might melt.

“You’re cozy.”

You melt further. You want nothing more than to kiss her right then. You wonder if she’d let you.

“You two could be a little more considerate, don’t you think?” Peter’s standing at the edge of the loveseat, looking mean and grumpy. At first you’re confused as to who he’s talking to or what he’s on about. “Oh don’t look so pathetic,” he spits, “you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Dani straightens up, sitting stiffly and looking down at her feet. You feel a surge of anger go through you and hop to your feet, staring Peter down even though he’s almost a foot taller than you. “No, I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about. Why don’t you enlighten me?”

Your words are icy, portraying the anger you’re feeling inside. But underneath the anger, you’re terrified. You’re terrified that Dani’s going to hear all of Peter’s misogynistic and homophobic views. You’re scared she’s going to take it to heart and it will derail her coming to terms with her identity. You’ve heard it all before, there was nothing anyone like Peter could say anymore that would shock you. But you worry for Dani. You don’t want her to have to go through this. So you stare Peter down, daring him to continue.

“Well, aside from the obvious…” he sneers. Owen is on his feet too, trying to push Peter back from you. You shove Owen out of the way. It would be an honour to take down Peter fucking Quint. “Aside from the obvious _disgusting_ nature of your relationship, maybe you could keep in mind that some of us are dealing with heartbreak and stop rubbing it in our faces.”

You smirk. “Oh sorry tough guy, are we breaking your fragile ego? Is little Peter realizing he can’t keep a girl to save his life and has to try and suck the happiness out of everyone else?”

Peter’s expression darkens. “You’re lucky Dominic and Charlotte don’t know about you…”

“They know everything they need to know about me, thank you very much.”

“That’s doubtful. They can’t know because I’m sure they wouldn’t want someone like you around their children, influencing them and _infecting_ them with your queer notions and…”

Peter never finishes his sentence. There’s a sharp _crack_ that rings out through the room. Peter’s head whips to the side. Peter fucking Quint just got slapped and it wasn’t by you, or Owen who looked like he was ready to rumble. It wasn’t Hannah or Rebecca, both of whom were looking enraged.

“Don’t talk to her like that!” Dani is a quivering ball of anger. She’s standing in front you, arm raised to go at Peter again, like your own personal knight in shining armour. “Who do you think you are that you can talk down to someone like that? Especially someone who’s so good, so perfect, so generous…” Dani’s advancing on Peter, cornering him. He looks bewildered. “You don’t get to talk to anyone like that! But especially not to Jamie. Do you understand me?”

Peter casts his gaze around the room, clearly looking for some backup. All he finds are incredulous looks mirroring your own. Except that you can feel your expression turning from incredulous to full on grinning. Dani’s hot when she’s angry. There’s no two ways about it.

“I asked if you understood?” Dani is demanding. She’s full of fury and ordering Peter around and aside from it being great to see someone finally put Peter in his place you’re honestly a bit weak at the knees at her tone.

Peter nods meekly. “I get it, yeah,” he mumbles. He scrambles, hustling from the room.

There’s silence for a minute. Then a clap sounds out, followed by another. Owen is grinning from ear to ear, slow clapping for Dani. “That was brilliant, love. Come here.”

Dani accepts Owen’s hug in a daze, looking only dimly aware. You can see her calm down by degrees, hugging Rebecca and Hannah too. You wish you could calm down. There’s a fire burning deep inside you that you can’t get a hold of. It’s been smoldering since you first met Dani, and now it’s raging. You need to touch her, kiss her, hold her. You need to…

“Jamie.” Dani’s facing you now, looking concerned. “I’m sorry for stepping in like that. I didn’t mean to get in the middle…”

“Don’t apologize.” You give her a hug because everyone else got to. When you pull back, you take hold of her hand in yours and lead her from the room. You feel like you need her alone. “Don’t apologize, Clayton. Never apologize for standing up for what’s right. Besides…that was fucking hot.”

Dani’s face goes brilliantly red. She gapes at you for a moment, probably taken aback by your bluntness. Then slowly she starts to smile, biting her bottom lip. You’re in the entrance hall at the bottom of the staircase, not far enough from everyone else, but you don’t particularly care. All you know is that you really want to kiss Dani, and you really need to know if she wants you to.

“Dani that was…brilliant.” You lift one of her hands to her lips, kissing her knuckles. “You were brilliant and holy fuck you were hot. And I…” you take a deep breath, “I really would like to kiss you right now if you’ll let me.”

Dani doesn’t answer you. She doesn’t answer you because the next thing you know her lips are on yours. Dani’s kissing you, and it’s the best thing you’ve ever experienced. Her hands find their way to tangle in your curls and your hands are on her hips, gripping tight. You tease her lips with your tongue and when she grants you entrance you think you may just well float away. It’s not a soft, innocent kiss like you thought your first kiss might be with Dani. It’s hot and messy and just perfect. You fit together so well. It feels like you’ve been waiting your whole life just to kiss Dani Clayton.

You don’t realize you’re backing Dani up until her back comes into contact with a wall. You continue to press forward, slipping your thigh in between Dani’s. She moans into your mouth. You’re fingers are toying with the bottom of her jumper. She breaks the kiss when your fingertips just barely graze the smooth skin of her lower back.

“God Jamie,” she pants. You can’t stop kissing her. You’re kissing her jaw, and her neck, and tugging aside the neck of her jumper so you can kiss her collarbone. You think you may be addicted to her skin. “Jamie wait.”

You don’t want to…waiting is the absolute last thing on your mind. But you pull back regardless, taking in the sight before you. Dani is flushed, her pupils blown. She’s breathing heavily and looking at you in a way that makes you burn with want and feel totally safe at the same time.

“We should…Jamie we should head upstairs.”

“Right.” You swallow hard, remembering that your friends are essentially only a wall away. “Yeah, er…sorry ‘bout that.”

Dani shakes her head. “Don’t…Jamie take me upstairs.” She’s demanding again, in the best way possible. “Take me to your bedroom.”

She doesn’t need to ask you twice. You’re off like a shot, pulling Dani along behind you. Except that it’s not easy making it up the stairs to your room. It’s not easy because Dani pulls you to stop halfway up the stairs and kisses you so hard you forget your name. You remember your goal eventually and keep going, but can’t resist pressing her into the wall at the top of the stairs, lips on overdrive as you kiss her neck and Dani’s leg coming up to hook around your hip. Then you’re at the door to your guest room but you’re having trouble figuring out how to turn a doorknob because Dani’s pressed into you back, nibbling at your ear. Her arms are wrapped around you from behind and her fingers are toying with the button on your jeans and you need to get that door opened _now_.

It’s messy and perfect at the same time. You’re pulling at each other’s clothes, and you get tangled up in your jeans and Dani trips over her discarded jumper and it’s a disaster except it’s exactly how you want everything to go. Every moment with Dani you can feel yourself falling further and further and she’s there before you in her underwear and she’s _breathtaking_ and you want to tell her that you love her except that’s crazy. But you see it in her eyes too, and you think maybe it’s not so crazy. And maybe you don’t need to say it because maybe Dani simply knows.

Dani’s lying back on the pillows of your bed, naked and ethereal, and you’re straddling her hips, and things slow down for a moment. “Jamie I…” she trails off and for the first time she looks nervous, unsure.

“We don’t have to do anything more tonight, Dani,” you promise her. You lean down to kiss her forehead. “We can stop now and I can just hold you tonight.”

“I don’t want to stop, I don’t. It’s just…I’ve never done this before. With a woman. With anyone, really.” She looks bashful. “I don’t want to be bad. I don’t want to disappoint you.”

You take one of Dani’s hands and bring it up to your chest. “You feel that?” Your heartbeat is going crazy, practically pounding out of your chest. “Dani that’s what you do to me. That’s how much I like you. There’s no way on earth you could ever disappoint me. But I’d like to take care of you, if you’ll let me. Can I?”

Dani settles. She looks sure again. She sits up a bit to catch your lips in a heated kiss. “I’d love that,” she whispers against your lips.

And it’s strange how you’ve done this before, but it feels like your first time, too. When Dani has her head thrown back, when she’s trying to stifle her moans of pleasure, when she comes apart beneath you for the first time…it’s different than it’s ever been. And when her fingers, tentative but bold, start exploring you it feels like everything has finally fallen into place. Nobody has ever made you feel like Dani’s making you feel. Nobody has ever made you come quite so undone in the best possible ways. You’ve never felt so cared for, and as you kiss Dani and the night carries on as you keep learning what makes each other fall apart, you think you never want to let this feeling go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hands up who thinks I won't get everything posted by Christmas! Yeah me too...but hey, I'm trying. Thanks for stopping by lovelies!


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’re not sure if you like the blushing, easily flustered Dani or the confidant and sure Dani better. Actually, you like them both equally. You’re pretty sure you like all sides of Dani, even the ones you haven’t discovered yet.

The faint hint of sunlight is what finally starts to wake you from a restful sleep. It’s pale and gray where it slips in through the gaps in the curtains. You slept wonderfully, and your body is aching in the best ways. You had fallen asleep in Dani’s arms, and they’re still around you now. You think that’s why you slept so well.

You can feel her eyes on you without even turning around. She’s staring, you just know it, and you feel a goofy grin playing at your lips. For the first time ever, you don’t even care about her seeing your scars. They’ve always been a mark of embarrassment for you; something you try to hide. But Dani’s different. You don’t care and you know she doesn’t care. Her gaze is warm and comforting, and you decide you need to see those beautiful eyes instead of just imaging them.

Dani’s smiling at you when you roll over in her arms. She looks soft and happy and content. “Good morning,” she says softly. When she kisses you it’s just a peck on the lips, but it still makes you feel giddy as a schoolgirl.

“Mornin’.” You can’t resist kissing her again, morning breath be damned. “Were you watching me sleep, Clayton?”

“You’re beautiful.” Dani says it simply, like it’s a basic and well known fact. Your heart flutters. “You can’t blame me staring when you’re just so damn beautiful.”

“Flatterer.” You feel Dani trailing her fingers lightly up and down your spine. You can’t resist stealing another kiss. Dani kisses you back like she knows exactly what makes you tick, and then you’re trading lazy, playful kisses in bed in the early morning light. Her kisses trail down your neck and you feel her trying to press you onto your back and gain the upper hand. “Mmm…Dani we’re due for breakfast soon.”

“Don’t care.” She nuzzles into your neck and it tickles a bit. You can’t remember the last time someone made you legitimately giggle, but Dani seems to bring out a playful, happy side of you. “Let’s just stay in bed all day.”

Sitting up and moving away from Dani’s lips isn’t an easy decision. The groan she makes as she flops back onto the pillows tells you she agrees that it’s a stupid decision. You make the mistake of turning your head to look back at her and the cute pout she’s sporting causes you to lean back down, hovering over her to give her another kiss.

“Don’t be sad.” You press your lips to both cheeks. “I’ll make it up to you.” This time you kiss her nose. “Tonight, I’ll make it up to you.” Another kiss to her chin. Dani giggles. “And we can do anything you want today.” You kiss her forehead. “Your choice.”

“Aside from staying in bed all day?” When you sit back up this time, Dani follows you. The sheets fall, and suddenly you’re very distracted and wondering why you didn’t want to stay in bed all day. “Jamie. Hey Jamie.” Your eyes snap up to meet Dani’s. She’s rolling her eyes at you good naturedly. “Good to know I could win any argument with you just by distracting you with my chest.”

You shrug. “It’s a nice bloody chest.”

“And you call me the flatterer.” She kisses you briefly. “We can do anything I want today?” You nod. “Good. I want to take you on a date.” Dani’s so confident when she says it, all you can do is nod and smile blissfully. You’re so head over heels already it isn’t even funny. Dani picks up one of your button downs from the back of a chair- you’re not exactly a tidy person- and your mouth goes dry at how good she looks in your clothes. Then you realize something.

“Oi! You’re the tourist here! How d’ya think you’ll get to be the one taking me on a date?”

\---

It’s the noon hour, and you find yourself standing behind a table ladling hot soup at the homeless shelter. Charlotte had extended the invitation to volunteer to everyone at Bly, and only Peter- who had disappeared back into the city for the day- was missing. The organizers had looked faintly surprised to see so many of you show up to help out. Flora and Miles were, of course, the biggest hits. They were the youngest of any of the volunteers and were able to bring about more smiles than anyone else.

It’s as your filling the bowl of a girl who looks to be about your age, far too thin and haggard looking, that you realize for the first time how lucky you really are. This could’ve been you, days before Christmas, looking for any respite from the cold and relying on the charity and hospitality of total strangers. It could’ve been you seeking a free cot to wait out the nights at the shelter. It could’ve been you without anyone to spend the holidays with. You give the young girl an extra meaningful smile, and you know it’s likely a bit shaky.

You can’t say why everything is suddenly hitting you so hard in that moment. It’s not that you ignore your past- those struggles have done a lot to make you who you are today- but the past has always been the past for you. There’s never been any need to dwell on it.

Except now you’re seeing the few dozen people in the shelter, varying in age and in health, and you realize how easily you could’ve been on the opposite side of the table. A few lucky breaks here and there and the willingness of people like the Wingrave’s to give you a chance are all that saved you from that outcome, really. It suddenly overwhelms you. You swap out with another volunteer and head to the outside, needing some fresh air.

You’re standing with your back resting on the brick wall behind you, not caring about the cold drizzle coming down, when Hannah finds you. She stands beside you, mimicking your position. “Everything alright, Jamie?”

You nod. “Yeah. For sure. Just fancied some fresh air.”

Hannah is looking at you, you can feel her gaze. But you can’t bring yourself to meet it. You feel a little too unsure of yourself right then. And next thing you know there’s a hand on your shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

“You know we’re your family right Jamie? Owen and I, Henry, Dominic and Charlotte…the kids, Becca…we’re all your family. You belong, and nothing’s ever going to change that. You know that right?”

And maybe Dani’s wrecking your tough exterior, because all you need from Hannah right then is a hug. And when you turn to her, Hannah’s already there with arms outstretched to wrap around you. Hannah’s just like that. She always knows the exact right things to do.

\---

The restaurant isn’t fancy, but it’s the second nicest one in Bly and just so happens to be your favourite. Dani had insisted on being the one to take you on a date, and whether she knew this restaurant was your favourite or it was just a happy coincidence you still didn’t know. What you did know was that when you had finished volunteering Dani told you that you were joining her for supper at half five and then going to the cinema. You’re not sure if you like the blushing, easily flustered Dani or the confidant and sure Dani better. Actually, you like them both equally. You’re pretty sure you like all sides of Dani, even the ones you haven’t discovered yet.

The waiter places a perfectly done steak in front of you and your mouth waters. They may not have the finest china or most expensive décor, but they certainly knew how to cook your meat just how you liked it. That and the half price pints at happy hour kept you coming back.

“I hope this restaurant was a good choice,” Dani says almost shyly. She’s nervous, you think, but she’s hiding it well.

“This restaurant is the best choice,” you reassure her. The table you’re sitting at as tiny and round, and your eyes settle on Dani’s free hand resting on the surface. You want to hold it, but you know this is her first ever date with a woman. You knew that being out in public could be intimidating. So instead you reach for your drink and take a sip. “So tell me something about yourself, Clayton.”

“What do you want to know?”

_Everything,_ you think. Instead you settle on, “What’s your favourite colour?”

“Violet and yellow,” she says without hesitation. “I know they’re an unlikely combination, but I just love both. I can’t pick one of them to be my favourite. You?”

“Brown.” Dani’s look of surprise mingled with confusion is adorable. “Yeah, yeah I’ve heard it all before. Brown is such an ugly colour.”

“It’s not ugly! It’s just…”

“It’s the colour of earth,” you cut in. “Everything that we need to sustain us can be grown in the brown earth. It’s amazing, really.”

Dani grins. “I’ve never thought of that before. You’re full of wisdom, aren’t you?”

You snort. “I wouldn’t go that far. What’s your favourite movie?”

“Mary Poppins.” You can tell Dani is a bit hesitant to share that answer, and you wonder who has teased her for liking it. Who has told her that it’s a children’s film and not worth her time? If you ever find out, you just might slap them.

“Is that because you’re practically perfect in every way?” Dani’s smiles, and it looks a bit relieved. You’re upset that someone could make Dani’s likes seems childish or beneath her. But you’re happy that you can make her smile. “I made up a dance to _Step in Time_ once. Also tend to whistle it while I’m working. Love that song.”

“Really?” You nod. “So now that you’ve told me you’re going to show me that dance one day, right?”

“In your dreams, Poppins.”

The conversation flows easily between the two of you. You learn that Dani knows how to ride a horse, has visited over ten different countries, and knows how to speak French. She shares that she secretly loves ABBA, but most of the time she tells people Bon Jovi is her favourite. Dani loves dark chocolate, but hates caramel. You talk about some serious stuff as well. She confesses that she’s never thought much about her future, because her future always seemed to be set in stone. But now Dani can’t do anything _but_ think about her future, and how she wants to make it her own.

“I’m scared I’ve left it too late,” she says quietly, almost in a whisper. “I’m scared I’ve let too much of life pass me by already.”

You can’t help but again want to reach across the table and grab her hand. You wish it was acceptable to do so in public, but you’re not sure the public is ready for that. Instead you settle for looking at her directly, hoping she can feel the seriousness you’re trying to convey.

“Your future can be whatever you want it to be, Dani. It’s never too late to try something new, or set out on a new path.”

“But what if…”

“Hey, stop that. Nobody can answer all those ‘what ifs’, or tell what’s gonna happen in the future. You just gotta take it one day at a time. ‘Cause that’s all anyone ever gets, is just one day at a time.”

Dani smiles softly at you. “This might sound really lame, and it’s probably going to scare you off a bit…” Dani gulps. “I really like you Jamie. You’re the first person I’ve met that doesn’t expect anything from me. You make me feel happy all the time. All my anxieties, when I’m with you they…they don’t seem so bad. You make me stronger and I…I just really like you. I don’t know what that means or where it’s going but…” she trails off.

You’d kiss her, but you’re not sure the unsuspecting public would be ready for that. You wonder if one day it wouldn’t be considered scandalous. And you wonder if Dani might still be around then so you can experience it together. So instead you settle on saying, “I really like ya too, Poppins.”

“Good,” she grins. Then she starts looking anxious a bit. “What does this mean though? I mean, we just met and you live here but I don’t and…”

“Hey, hey Dani,” you shush her, “it’s okay. We know we like each other. We don’t have to figure out anything more than that right now. How about we just finish off our date and then we’ll take it one day at a time, yeah?”

Dani looks like she wants to kiss you too. But you settle for sharing a smile and exchanging sneaky yet heated glances through the rest of the meal. Dani insists on paying the bill when it comes, but you convince her to let you leave the tip. It’s the least you can do. It’s still raining when you head outside, but you feel rather invincible. It would take more than rain to dampen your spirits, you think in the spirit of Owen. You ask Dani where to next and she blushes a bit.

“Um, well…I hope you don’t mind driving a bit? The movie I wanted to see wasn’t playing in Bly…I mean, obviously there isn’t even a theatre here. But I don’t have a car here and I feel bad making you drive when I asked you on a date, but…”

You place your index finger against her lips. “Do you really think I mind getting to spend extra time with you? Which cinema are we heading to then?”

The drive is rather lovely. A half hour with Dani sitting in the passenger seat of your Jeep, the two of you singing along to Christmas songs at the top of your lungs. You’re almost sad when you reach your destination. But then you hear Dani ask for _White Christmas_ at the ticket window and realize that this date just keeps getting better.

“Alright, so are you psychic or something?” You’re standing in line to buy popcorn, which you are definitely going to pay for.

“Owen may have mentioned it,” she shrugs. “And I may have spent the morning calling every theatre in the phonebook to see if it was showing anywhere.”

You manage to restrain yourself until you’re sitting in your seats and the lights dim. But once it’s dark you can’t hold back anymore. Gently, you cup Dani’s jaw and turn her towards you, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss. You feel her respond immediately, and the kiss gets a little more heated than you had intended. It was meant to be a simple, short, sweet kiss. Now your tongues are battling and Dani’s hand is high up on your thigh and you’re almost ready to climb over the armrest into her lap. It’s a struggle to pull yourself away, and when you finally do you’re both breathing raggedly.

“Thank you, Dani,” you whisper. “This is the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Dani simply kisses you in response, softly pecking your lips. Then she settles back into her chair, but leans into your side. Taking your cue from her, you extend your arm back behind her shoulders, pulling her in closer. And really, it feels like a dream. You’re sitting there in the cinema, a beautiful girl snuggled into your side and head resting on your shoulder, sharing popcorn and simply enjoying each other’s company. You think it should scare you at how normal it feels. It should scare you that you can see yourself getting used to this. But it doesn’t scare you. It invigorates you. It exhilarates you. You press a kiss to the top of Dani’s head. You could definitely get used to this.

\---

There’s actual snow falling. You can’t believe it. It’s just a few flakes, here and there, and nothing gathering on the ground. But you woke up early and made your way down to the kitchen to make some tea and then there it was when you looked out the window. Actual snowflakes falling from the sky. Flora may get her Christmas miracle after all. There might actually be snow on the ground.

As the tea brews you find yourself humming carols. It’s shocking behaviour from you. If Owen caught you he’d never let you live it down. But, fittingly enough as you’re humming _Jingle Bells_ , you spirits are just too bright. Arriving home after the date last night you and Dani had spent the night together again, this time falling into her bed. And once again you woke up in her arms. So yeah, your spirits were bright. And you think it might even be worth the teasing you’d endure if anyone caught you.

“Someone’s in good spirits this morning.”

Oops.

You turn and see Dani leaning in the doorway, grinning at you lazily. She’s wearing ridiculously fluffy purple slippers and your button down again. Her blonde hair is a bit wild and you think she looks absolutely adorable.

“Well why wouldn’t I be in good spirits? Turns out I may have caught the eye of this gorgeous girl.”

“Have you now?” Dani walks into the kitchen, coming closer.

“Apparently. Don’t know how she puts up with me really.” You catch the bottom hem of her shirt and pull her into you. Your noses brush against each other. She’s biting her bottom lip and staring at yours and you decide to put you both out of your misery and kiss her. “Good morning,” you mumble against her incredibly soft lips.

“Morning,” Dani replies. “Although, I should be mad at you. I woke up in bed all alone.”

“My most sincere apologies.” You keep kissing her, and Dani tangles her fingers in your curls. “How so ever could I make it up to you?”

She grins slyly. “I have some ideas.” And then the two of you are full on making out in the kitchen.

You have one hand up under her shirt, sliding up her torso, and you can’t resist brushing one thumb across the underside of her breast. Dani moans. You jolt somewhat as your back hits the edge of the counter. You hadn’t realized Dani had been backing you up. She keeps pressing, keeps coaxing, and it doesn’t take you long to figure out she wants you up on the counter. So you hop up, sitting on the edge, and Dani settles in between your legs.

It’s your turn to moan as Dani’s fingers roam the skin of your thighs, teasing under the hem of the shorts you were wearing. Her kisses move down to neck and she finds that one spot- _that_ one spot that always drives you crazy- and you’re lost in a haze of lust. You forget where you are, you’ve probably forgotten your own name.

And then Owen walks into the kitchen and yelps like a schoolgirl and you’re brought crashing back down to earth.

Dani’s face is ridiculously red as she springs away from you. The blush on her cheeks and ears is furious, and you can’t resist laughing as you hop down from the counter. Dani hears your laughter and sends you a cute little embarrassed scowl that does nothing to quell you.

“This is public domain,” Owen scolds, though you can see a small smile forming under his moustache. “You both realize that right? All of the bedrooms in this house have locking doors, and you choose the kitchen.”

“Sorry Owen.” You kiss him on the cheek as an apology. “And to make you feel better I won’t tell you about the rolling pin.”

You grab Dani’s hand and sprint from the kitchen, hearing Owen spluttering behind you. You’re laughing as you run across the foyer to the stairs, but your laughter stops before you make it. Hannah’s standing there, eyebrows raised, and you freeze in your tracks. Dani runs into your back and lets out an adorable little ‘oof’.

“Uh…hey. Mornin’ Hannah.” You try to smile at her winningly.

“I’d think twice about traumatizing Owen. After all, he does have the power to ruin those chocolate cupcakes you love so much.” Hannah continues on past you. “Oh, and he does have a point about the locking bedroom doors,” she throws over her shoulder.

Dani’s face, if possible, goes even redder.

\---

“I’d like to cordially invite you to our Christmas Eve _eve_ Christmas jumper party.” Flora hands each of you an invitation hand drawn on construction paper. She looks utterly adorable in a pretty red dress with green bows in each of her braids.

“I’ll be glad to be there, Miss Flora.” Rebecca has seemingly been rebounding quite well from her breakup. She had joined you, Dani, and Hannah for a ‘spa’ morning of relaxing and sipping mimosas around the Manor. Peter had been skulking around in the background, but Becca was expertly ignoring him.

“Owen’s helping me bake cookies for the party tonight. And there will be dancing!”

“Dancing? That does it, I’m sold. I’m an amazing dancer.”

Hannah snorts in a rather undignified way. “You’re a terrible dancer, Jamie. You’re stiff as a board and couldn’t even figure out a simple line dance.”

“That was one time,” you huff. “One time. And I was drunk, and the bloke teaching it was Irish. I can’t understand that accent!”

“Sure.” Hannah winks in Dani’s direction. “Wait until you see her trying to dance to pop music. You’ll question why you like her.”

Dani and Rebecca both join in when Hannah laughs, and you scowl at your so called friends. “I think you’re a wonderful dancer Jamie.”

“Why thank you Flora.” You give one of her braids a playful little tug. “See, this is why Flora’s my favourite. She doesn’t insult my dancing skills.”

“I would never! Miles does say you look like a fish thrashing about outside of water when you dance, but I would never say that!”

The other three laugh even harder as Flora trounces away, and you vow you’re going to start planting stinging nettles around the grounds where they’ll least expect it. They clearly deserve it.

\---

The Christmas jumper party is in full swing by suppertime that evening. Jolly carols are being played raucously and there are more than enough sugary sweets to feed a crowd triple your size. There are two different bowls of eggnog, and Charlotte almost had a heart attack when she caught Miles trying to sneak a glass from the non-child friendly version. Since then it had been moved up higher, out of Miles’ reach. Of course, the more the rest of drank and the more uncoordinated you became it was more and more dangerous to try and reach for it.

Everyone was wearing some form of festive jumper, though some were definitely more reserved than others. Hannah and Rebecca were simply wearing red and green cardigans, respectively. Owen, on the other hand, had let the kids sew dozens of bells onto his sweater. He jingled with every move he made and Flora laughed so hard when she first saw him she devolved into a fit of hiccups. You knew that the Wingrave’s liked Christmas Eve itself to be a bit quieter and they’d take the children to evening mass. But there was nothing quiet about the eve before Christmas Eve at Bly Manor.

Henry had been missing from the festivities, and you almost spit out your ‘nog when he entered the room in an ill-fitting Santa suit complete with a terrible fake beard. When he tried to sit down in an armchair but only succeeded in getting tangled up in the giant bag he was carrying and falling flat on his face you snorted eggnog up your nose instead.

“This is the most fun I’ve had for the holidays,” Dani gushed. She’s slightly tipsy and the sitting partially on your lap. You had to work hard to not spray her in the aftermath of your laughter.

“I’m glad.” So far, neither Dominic nor Charlotte had seemed at all ill at ease with the two of you getting closer and cuddlier as the night went on. In fact, Charlotte seemed to be sending more smiles your direction than anyone else’s.

Out of the corner of your eye you see Owen spiking the adult eggnog with even more spirits and you grin. The night was set to get even wilder, you realize. Owen sees you watching and winks at you. He had apparently forgiven you for defiling his kitchen earlier in the day, though you were enduring a lot of teasing about your budding relationship with the tourist.

“Ho ho ho my dear, come tell Santa what you want for Christmas!” Henry’s voice was booming, and judging by his rosy cheeks under the fake beard you could tell he had been indulging a bit as well.

“Uncle Henry I know that’s you,” Flora giggled.

“Uncle Henry? Who’s Uncle Henry? I know no such person…but he does sound like a wonderful old chap! No come, tell Santa your wish!”

Humouring him finally, Flora took hopped up onto his lap. “Santa, I wish for everyone here to have the happiest, bestest, most perfectly splendid Christmas ever in the history of Christmases!” You’re halfway through your ‘awe’ of how cute it was when Flora pulls down the beard and squeals in triumph. “I knew that was you, Uncle Henry!”

Dani is giggling uncontrollably and she’s in danger of slipping off your lap, she’s shaking so hard. You wrap your left arm more firmly around her waist. Your right is reluctant to let go of your glass of eggnog, but you’d definitely drop it in a heartbeat if Dani needed saving. She’s wearing these ridiculously large, dangling, Christmas tree earrings, and the tinsel tickles your nose as you try to nuzzle her neck from behind.

“Your earrings are going to make me sneeze.”

She swats at you teasingly. “Stop being dramatic.”

“I’m not dramatic. They’re death traps; honestly I’m surprised your ears haven’t fallen right off yet.”

“Can I refill you cups, ladies?” Peter’s sudden appearance at your side startles you and you immediately stiffen, ready to leap into defensive mode if necessary. But he appears diminished in a way. Narrowing your eyes at him, you decide to give him a chance and hand over your nearly empty glass. Dani does likewise. Your suspicious gaze follows Peter as he fills your glasses, sure he’s going to try to drug you or something. But nothing of the like happens. He simply fills the two cups and turns to make his way back to you.

“Thanks mate,” you say quietly when he returns.

“Look I want to apologize for what I said the other night. And in the past.” Peter’s not making eye contact with either of you, and his words are rushed. But nobody ever gets apologies from Peter fucking Quint, piss poor or otherwise. “I’m going to try to do better. And I hope we can all have a happy Christmas together. Anyway, sorry.”

He’s off before you or Dani can say anything to him in reply. Dani cranes her neck to look back at you. “Do we accept his apology?”

You shrug. “Honestly, I didn’t think the word ‘sorry’ was even in his vocabulary, so maybe that’s worth something. Although, I’ve always wanted to slap the bloke too, so maybe I should put off reconciliation until then.”

Dani smiles the prettiest smile. Then the music gets turned up and Flora announces that it’s time for the dance party to start. Things get pretty raucous after that. You take turns dancing with everyone, because despite the rumours you can, kind of, dance. You have the choreography to _Step in_ Time to prove it. People are twirling and spinning, and in Flora’s case, jumping up and down like mad. Miles asks you to dance with him like a perfect gentleman, and Rebecca somehow ends up with Henry’s Santa beard on. Owen is trying to time his moves with the music so his bells jingle on time. Dominic swoops in and scoops up his daughter to twirl her round and round, while Dani’s moves are almost as robotic and spastic as yours. It’s a party, alright, and you’ve never felt more part of a family in your entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't decide whether I'm happy or sad that I'm now considered an essential worker for the upcoming shutdown. But I do know that I'm super stoked about Dani and Jamie!
> 
> Thanks, as always, for reading. I appreciate it friends!


	5. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hard knot forms in the pit of your stomach. For as much as you wanted to get back to the house just a few moments ago, now you suddenly don’t want to cross the threshold. You want to grab Dani and just run away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is where, if the tags didn't tell ya, it becomes apparent I'm simply just a hopeless romantic covering up a Hallmark movie plotline with the guise of serious angst. Enjoy!

Christmas Eve dawns cold and frosty. The grounds of Bly sparkle somewhat in the bright early morning sun. It’s not quite snow, but the effect is pretty enough you suppose. The Manor is quiet to begin the day, with everyone sleeping in a little bit late. Even Miles and Flora, having been allowed to stay up past their bedtimes the previous night, are snoozing late. They’ll be up the crack of dawn the next morning, you figure, so a lazy morning doesn’t sound like all that bad of an idea.

You’re warm beneath your comforter, and Dani’s arms are comfortable around you. You’ve been awake for a while, reluctantly having to leave the warmth of your bed for a trip to the washroom, but you tucked yourself back in immediately after. You had no plans for the day and no desire to leave the company of the blonde beauty sharing your bed. It was easy to get lost in fantasies of this being your daily routine for the rest of time. It was easy to believe that this could be your future, together with Dani, every single day.

Darker, heavier thoughts soon invade your head. Maybe your earlier years had turned you into a bit too much of a realist. Owen, of course, would label you not as a realist but as a pessimist. Pessimistic or not, however, suddenly there was a storm cloud forming in your brain.

The elephant in the room was, of course, Dani’s engagement. You hadn’t talked about since she first told you. And you believed wholeheartedly that she truly did not love her fiancé. You believed one hundred percent that her feelings for you were genuine and strong and true. But where did that leave you? You didn’t even know how long she would be staying in Bly for before heading back…wherever she was from. Dani still hadn’t shared that with you. The problem was you trusted Dani completely, without trace of a doubt anywhere in your mind. But you didn’t trust the situation. You didn’t trust that things weren’t too good to be true and that there wasn’t another shoe somewhere waiting to drop.

“You’re thinking too loud,” Dani mumbles into your hair, and despite your dark thoughts you can’t help a small smile forming on your lips.

“How d’ya know I’m thinking?”

You feel her shrug. “I can just tell. Penny for your thoughts?”

“Just thinking about Christmas. And about how much I like ya.” You sigh. “Also thinking about what happens after your vacation is over.”

Dani stiffens. The covers rustle and you feel the bed dip a bit behind you. “Jamie…” She’s sitting up, and trying to coax you to roll over. “Jamie...look at me? Please?” Finally you decide to humour her. “I’m not going back home. I think that plan was always in the back of my mind when I first left but now…now I know. I’m not going back.”

“So what, you’re going to stay here in Bly forever?”

“Would that be so terrible?”

You smile ruefully. “No. It would be like a dream. A real dream come true, just like in the fairy tales. Problem is, life has never been like that for me.”

Dani sits back against the headboard, patting her lap in invitation. You happily cuddle into her, and she pulls the blankets up to cover you both. She strokes your hair, and it’s calming. She knows exactly what you need and she’s known you for what- four days? You never want to give this up.

“Look Jamie, I can’t promise you that things won’t get a bit interesting. I can’t promise that I can just snap my fingers and move to Bly permanently tomorrow. But do you believe me when I promise that I _will_ figure things out and I _do_ want to be here with you?” You nod against her chest. “It might take some time, but I’m determined to give us a chance. For now though…for Christmas…is it really too bad to live in a fairy tale for just a bit longer?”

“No,” you say, exhaling. “I think I’d like that.”

\---

Everyone gets up so late that breakfast and lunch become one and the same. Miles and Flora are full of the giddy and jittery energy that children so often get the day before Christmas. You think that their parents are going to have a hell of a time getting them to sit calmly through evening mass. Dominic and Charlotte have extended an invite to everyone to join them, but you know you’ll pass. You’ve never been a religious person yourself.

After the impromptu brunch, everyone decides to take a walk around the grounds of Bly. It’s freezing outside, but the grounds are enormous and there’s still a certain majestic beauty to the frost covered earth and the bare branches of the trees. The lake on the grounds is partially frozen over, and Miles wants nothing more than to walk on it despite everyone telling him it’s a bad idea.

“But father, it looks frozen!”

“Only parts of it are Miles, and only the very surface. It would crack the instant you step foot on it!”

“Can’t I try? I’ll stay really close to the shore, I promise.”

“You should listen to your dad, kiddo,” you tell him. There are a few rocks littering the shoreline and you pick one up and give it a toss. It’s not even a very large rock, but it still crashes through the film of frost on top of the water.

Miles stares at the jagged, dark hole for a bit. “Dad, can we take a trip somewhere where I can walk on a frozen lake sometime?”

After a couple hours of walking outside mostly everyone is ready to head inside. Charlotte wants to start getting the kids ready for mass. They’ll have to leave in another hour. Despite the chill of the day, you have no want to head back inside. The sun is actually shining for once and you fancy some alone time with Dani. The day has already passed so easily, and you want to take advantage of any time you have left with Dani. A quick glance at her makes you think she feels about the same.

“Fancy spending some more time out here with me Poppins?” Her brilliant smile is response enough.

So the two of you take off again, hand in hand, strolling along without any destination in mind. You chat about everything and nothing, just soaking up the company. You make each other laugh. It’s nice to be able to spend time with someone without expectation you realize. There’s no need to try harder or to pretend you’re someone you’re not.

“This is just such a charming place,” Dani breathes. “I love it here. It’s so different than what I’m used to.”

“When I first started working here I actually got lost on the grounds,” you admit with a chuckle. “I’ve never been somewhere so huge.”

Dani’s silent for a minute. The two of you have managed to circle back to the lake, and she’s gazing out at the water. “My family home is like this. Size wise at least.” She says it as if she’s shy, as if she’s ashamed. “I…um…I didn’t want to tell, or I guess I was worried…” she trails off.

“You thought I’d think of you differently if I knew you were rich?” you guess.

Dani shrugs. “Something like that.”

“Poppins, I don’t judge a person on what they have or don’t have. I judge people on who they are. I don’t give a rat’s arse if you own a yacht or don’t have two cents to put together.” You pause for a moment. “Actually, ya know what I’ve never been on a yacht. If you have one I view that as a serious advantage.” She laughs, and you’re glad she knew you were joking around. You give her a kiss, and even though both of you have cold, chapped lips it still sends tingles through you, right down to your toes.

“Jamie, I think…” Dani looks serious again. “I’m falling for you. And I know it’s too soon to say that, but I am. Quickly. Overwhelmingly.” She takes a deep breath. “Which is why I think I have to tell you that…”

“Ladies.” You turn, seeing Owen emerge behind you. He looks…concerned. Serious. It’s not a look you usually associate with Owen. “I think…well, I think you should both come back to the house. There’s…I’m not really sure what’s going on actually.”

Your brow furrows. Rarely is Owen at a loss for words. You glance at Dani, but she looks just as confused as you feel. Shrugging, you take Dani’s mitten clad hand in your own and start following Owen. The three of you are quiet as you make your way back across the grounds, and your mind is reeling. The closer you get to the Manor the harder your heart is pounding. Was there an accident? Is there some sort of medical emergency? The list of catastrophes which might have befallen Bly in the ninety minutes you were enjoying your time with Dani is growing in your mind by the second.

The three of you finally emerge at the front of the grounds, at the end of the large gravel and stone driveway. Dani’s grasp on your hand is the only thing keeping you from sprinting the remaining distance to the house. There are no flashing lights, though, no ambulances blocking your way. There are, however, three sleek and expensive looking black cars that certainly were not there earlier.

“Oh no.” You look at Dani and she’s suddenly white as a ghost.

“Dani?” She doesn’t respond. You squeeze her hand a bit. “Poppins, you alright? You look like you’re ‘bout to be sick.”

Dani just shakes her head. She looks terrible, really. A hard knot forms in the pit of your stomach. For as much as you wanted to get back to the house just a few moments ago, now you suddenly don’t want to cross the threshold. You want to grab Dani and just run away. It’s too late though. You’re up the front steps and Owen’s opening the front doors and you try to not let it show that you’re hurt when Dani drops your hand.

There are two official looking blokes in suits standing in the foyer, but other than that no sign that anything is amiss. Following Owen’s lead you step out of your boots and hang up your coat. Dani does likewise, but she’s moving so slow it almost seems like she’s going in reverse. With a quirk of his head Owen motions to the kitchen. You follow him.

The first thing you see is Hannah- who you thought would be joining the Wingrave’s at evening mass- and Rebecca standing awkwardly by the island. Peter is lurking in the corner, looking uncharacteristically grave. Then your eyes settle on the kitchen table, where there are a number of strangers, all looking far too fancy and important for you to be meeting them in overalls.

A man stands. “May I introduce to you her majesty, the honourable Lady Clayton.”

Everyone at the table stands, including an elegantly dressed, beautiful woman of you’d guess about fifty, with a small tiara nestled into blonde curls. The resemblance between her and Dani is impossible to overlook.

The puzzle pieces are starting to click into place but you don’t want to believe the picture they’re putting together. Bewildered, you turn to Dani. She looks ashen.

“Mother,” Dani says weakly. “How did you find me?”

\---

Everyone had awkwardly filtered into the living room. You’ve been silent for a while now, but your head is buzzing. You can’t bring yourself to look at Dani. When you followed the rest out of the kitchen you purposely snagged a solo armchair off the corner a bit. You didn’t really feel like having anyone else sit that near to you.

“So Dani…are you…you’re a princess then?” Becca, bless her, sounds about as confused and awed and overwhelmed as you feel.

It’s Dani’s apparent mom who responds, however. “She is. Danielle is the only child of myself and the late Sir Remus Clayton, the King of Theonia. Danielle is the rightful heir to the throne. When she comes of age at twenty five, she will be the rightful queen.”

The room falls silent apart from the crackling of the fireplace. You do look up at Dani then, and she looks absolutely miserable. The petty and vindictive side of you enjoys that a bit. You’re starting to feel pretty darn miserable yourself, and the petty side of you wouldn’t say no to some company.

“So who are you then?” Peter, normally the bane of your existence, actually comes through for once. The only one not apparently cowed by royalty, he was the only one rude enough to point to the young man who practically glued to the queen’s side.

“I am Edmund O’Mara the third.” He sounds smarmy, you notice straight off.

“Edmund is betrothed to Danielle.” Your insides twist at the queen’s statement. “The O’Mara family has been heavily involved in our island’s politics and federal reserves for some time. It was such a joy to us when young Danielle and Edmund became friends. It seemed reasonable to decide then to join two illustrious bloodlines.” Dani is looking more miserable with every single word coming from her mother. “Edmund was delightful enough to accompany me here after Danielle’s little outburst.”

“That being said,” Edmund clears his throat and gets to his feet, “it’s time to go home, Danielle. We are getting married in only a few days. We must be ready for the proceedings.”

You think you might throw up. You can feel Hannah’s gaze on you, but you refuse to meet her eyes. You don’t want anyone’s pity right now. You’re too angry for pity.

“Yes, Edmund, you are quite right.” The queen also stands, and so too do her lackeys. Or courtiers or whatever they are. “Danielle, enough of this nonsense. It’s lucky we found you in time for the wedding. And now it is time to be off.”

“I’m not going.” It’s only a mumbled statement, but the effect it has is profound. The queen and mister Edmund perfect pants rich boy look at Dani, stupefied.

“Danielle!” Edmund sounds affronted and you smirk slightly. You wonder if anyone’s ever told him no before. “This is beneath you. You’re my fiancé and we’re getting married and that’s the end of it. Now let’s get going. We can stay in London tonight and fly home tomorrow.”

“No.” Dani’s on her feet now too, looking every bit as angry as she did when she faced down Peter. “Was leaving the stupid engagement ring that I’ve never even liked on the bathroom counter not enough? How about the note that said I don’t love you and I’m not marrying you? Eddie they decided our futures when we were kids…I don’t want any of it, I never have! Nobody ever asked me if I loved you, they only told me I had to marry you.”

Edmund looks stunned. “Danielle I…but…” he blusters. He turns to the queen. “But she’s my betrothed.”

The queen barely even spares him a second glance. “Danielle, the day you turn twenty-five you take the crown. You’ve known this since the day your father died seven years ago.” You look up at Dani, stunned. It’s her who looks as if she’s been slapped this time. You can tell she’s hurt by the bluntness of that. You’d never even asked her about her family…you’re awful. You feel awful. “Without a husband you won’t be able to hold the crown for more than a year. The monarchy will end and Theonia will be without a ruler.”

Dani throws up her arms. “You’re talking as if we’re still in the eighteenth century! The royal family isn’t anything more than a placeholder now. We even have a prime minister! She runs the country.”

“The monarchy is vital to the daily functioning of Thenoia! The citizens need us to guide them!”

“Tell that to Shirley Crain,” Dani snorts. “Nobody stands in her way. She could rule that country blindfolded and you know it!”

“So what is this then?” The queen sounds disdainful. “Are you abdicating your position?”

Dani looks her mother square in the eye, challenging her. “And what if I am?”

The queen sighs. “Then the royal family is finished. You are the last of the royal bloodline. We will cease to be.” She pauses. “Of course, it was bound to happen one day. Your father often spoke of how the status of the monarchy was becoming merely symbolic, and soon Theonia wouldn’t need the royals for anything more than a showpiece. A sideshow to the functioning government. Your father knew that day would come, and he said more than anything we’d need to prepare the country for it, to groom them. He said the worst thing that could happen was a sudden, unexpected end to the monarchy.

“Yes, we have a prime minister. There is a parliament, a governance. Theonia is not solely ruled by royals anymore, as has been gradually happening for a few decades. But do you think we do nothing Danielle? Do you think we don’t prevent infighting, or contribute to progress and to the economy? If Theonia wakes up two days from now and you don’t take the crown, the economy will be crushed and with it our home. They still need us; we are still too integrated into the functioning of our island to withdrawal. Maybe under your rule Theonia can get there. But if you choose to abdicate, or don’t take the crown, or can’t keep the crown…Theonia will crumble, and you know it Danielle.”

Bit by bit, Dani’s resolve is crumbling. You can see it happening before your very eyes, how the fight is being taken out of her. As she’s breaking, so is your heart. As her shoulders slump, so do your hopes. Every fairy tale has an ending, you suppose. You had always thought it was supposed to be happily ever after. But then, you never got fairy tales read to you when you were young.

“Danielle, you’ve known the responsibility which lies ahead for you since you were only a child. We trained you, we groomed you…do you not think we tried to give you siblings to share the burden of responsibility? If you had a brother we would never be having this conversation! When your father passed away it thrust responsibility upon you sooner than either of us thought. But I cannot hold this crown Danielle. Theonia needs you. Think of the people, think of your home…you have a responsibility.”

Dani isn’t looking anywhere but the floor. All the rage and the fight seems to have left her. After what seems like an eternity, she finally looks up at her mother.

“I’m not marrying Edmund. I’ll come home, I’ll take up the crown…but you can’t make me marry Edmund.”

The queen purses her lips. “Fine. There will be other suitors. You’ll come around within the year. You know your place, princess.”

Dani nods, and the final strings that were holding the pieces of your heart together seem to snap in your chest.

\---

“So you’re a real life princess?”

The Wingrave’s have returned from the Christmas Eve mass, and Flora is awed that she knows an actual, honest to goodness princess. She’s sitting on Dani’s lap, eyes wide and earnest, if you weren’t on the verge of tears you might think it was adorable.

“I am,” Dani nods. “I guess I’ll be queen soon?”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I love princesses! They get to wear gowns and tiaras and diamonds and go to balls all the time!”

Dani chuckles, but it’s subdued. “Princesses also have to keep up with a lot of responsibilities. They have to help care for a lot of people. Sometimes I don’t want to be Princess Danielle…I just want to be Dani.”

It’s difficult to watch the scene play out. The queen’s crew of men had retrieved Dani’s belongings and took them out to the cars. Edmund had fucked off somewhere- you didn’t really care where he went unless he was available for you to punch- and the queen was giving Dani time to say her goodbyes. But she was insisting that Dani leave as soon as possible. She had given up on making it to London, but the queen seemed to think it was dangerous to leave Dani at Bly Manor for even one night longer.

“Do you really have to go?” Miles seemed more upset than you would have thought. He was at that age where he was trying to hide his emotions and appear tough.

“I do,” Dani admitted. “I don’t want to. I really want to stay here with you all for Christmas. You’ve been so good to me.”

You take a large swallow from the glass of scotch in your hand. You gave up smoking two years prior, but what you wouldn’t do for a cigarette. You wonder if Peter has any, and realize he probably does. Whether or not he’d share would be another matter. So if you can’t smoke you might as well get drunk.

“I’m surprised at you.” Hannah’s at your side, suddenly. You simply look at her quizzically, not getting her meaning. “She hasn’t left yet, you know. I always thought you were a fighter, Jamie Taylor. Look at all you’ve overcome before.”

You shrug, downing the rest of your scotch and refilling the glass straight away. You realize it’s probably stupid to have a glass in one hand and the bottle in the other, but what can you do. “I don’t think I have much of a chance against royalty and responsibility.”

“Dani has to get married to keep the crown.” Becca’s now on your other side. “Who says it has to be to a man?”

You snort. “Yeah, ‘cause none of us have ever heard of Theonia before, so I’m sure they’re the first country to ever legalize gay marriage.”

“We’re just saying…”

“I know you’re just saying!” You’ve had enough. Your heart is aching and you just want to be left alone. All you want to do is lick your wounds in peace. “I know you guys are just trying to help. And I love you for it, I really do. But right now…right now I just need to get the hell out of here.”

And with that you’re off. You feel the queen’s eyes on you as you rush out of the room, and her expression seems just a bit smug and superior. You wonder if she suspected Dani had a liking for females all along. It makes you hate her even more. You don’t even bother with grabbing your jacket. You just burst out through the front doors and tear through the grounds. But you won’t cry. You won’t let yourself cry. Dani wasn’t worth your tears. She lied to you. She wasn’t worth a single goddamn tear.

You’re at the greenhouse where you and Dani had your big conversation. Everything changed for you that night, or at least you thought it did. You thought that you and Dani were meant to be, that fate had brought you together for a Christmas miracle. The bench is cold, but you really don’t care. What a laugh that night was, in retrospect.

“Fate can kiss my ass.”

It’s funny in a way, you suppose. Everything in your life had taught you that people weren’t worth the effort. You knew that; you had learned that lesson in the hardest ways. Finding a family at Bly had been the beginning of your undoing. They had softened you; cracks began to show in your armour. And then Dani Clayton showed up and wormed her way into those cracks, breaking them wide open. You should have known better. You should have never let yourself fall so hard, so quickly. But how could you have prevented it, really? Dani was just…Dani. She was just Dani, and you had fallen for her before you knew it.

“Jamie.” Her voice is soft and meek and it pisses you off. Why did she get to sound like the one who had been hurt?

“Yeah, you can go ahead and leave.” You don’t look up at her, you refuse to look up at her. “Ya really don’t need to say goodbye to me.”

Dani sighs. “Jamie, please.” The bench shifts a bit as she sits down. “Please, just look at me.” Her voice trembles. She sounds like she’s about to cry and it really grates on you. She was the one who lied, she was the one who hid the truth from you. _She_ was the one who hurt _you_.

“Look _Danielle_ , you really should get going. Don’t want your entourage leaving without you.”

“Jamie come on, can’t we talk about this at least? Like adults?”

You’re a bit incredulous. “What’s there to talk about Dani?” You’re finally looking at her, and you hate how wet her eyes are, how one single tear is making its way down her cheek. She didn’t have the right to be sad. “What’s there to talk about? You want to talk about how you lied? How you used me? How you made me feel like this was real when all along you knew we never even had a chance?”

“Jamie that’s not true..”

You laugh, and it’s a bitter sound. “What’s not true about it? It was all hopeless from the start and you knew it. Was it all a joke to you? Am I a joke to you?”

“No Jamie, none of it was a joke. None of it was a lie!” She’s full on crying now, tears falling like rain. “I thought if I could just get away from everything for a bit I could figure things out. I didn’t expect you. I didn’t expect to meet you and I knew I was running away from a problem you made everything feel so much better.”

“A problem.” You shake your head and get to your feet, pacing back and forth. “You want to know the real problem Dani? ‘Cause yeah there’s a problem alright. See, I’ve pretty much fallen in love with ya, it turns out, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Dani’s gaping up at you. She looks stunned by your admission.

“And yeah it’s crazy ‘cause I’ve known ya for days only. And it only happens like that in the movies. But it felt like I was living in one lately. So yeah, it got real for me real quick. But we’re from two different worlds, clearly.” Dani opens her mouth to talk, but you hold up a hand. “Don’t. Just don’t.” She tries to speak again. “Dani please! If none of it was a lie, if I ever meant anything to you than please, just don’t. Because we can never make this work _princess_ , you and I both know it. And if you care about me even the slightest bit then please just leave now so I can try to fix my heart. Right now it seems pretty broken. Maybe I can fix it, maybe it can heal. But not while you’re here- not while you’re here just makin’ me fall more and more. So please, you have to give me the chance to heal. Please.”

Dani sits there for a minute, silently crying. After what seems like an eternity, she looks at you and nods. “Okay.” It’s practically a whisper. “I’ll go.” She stands, lingering for a moment.

“Dani…” you’re pleading, on the verge of tears.

“Here.” She hands you a gift bag, red with green tissue. “I hope you’ll open it tomorrow. I…” Dani lets out a sob. “I’m so sorry, Jamie. I’m so sorry.”

And then she’s gone, and you’re alone. You’re finally alone, and all you can do is collapse back onto the bench and finally succumb to the tears. They flow freely and you’re full on sobbing. You wrap your arms around yourself, hoping maybe you can take away some of the pain you’re feeling. The sobs are uncontrollable and the pain is insurmountable because Dani’s gone. She’s gone and it was you who lied in the end. Because Dani had taken your heart with her and you knew it would never be fixed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to my idol Theo Crain and my total lack of knowledge regarding princesses. Also shoutout to the Theonia hotel in Greece which I had no idea existed until I googled my made up country to see if it had some hidden meaning.
> 
> The angst arrived, my friends. But you know I gotta keep with that happy ending romantic type of thing so fear not dear readers! Stay tuned for the conclusion to this ridiculous brainchild of a story I spawned. 
> 
> As always, thank you dearly for reading!


	6. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You sit there, between the two best children on the planet, and your brow furrows. They’re not completely out to lunch, you think. It no longer seems like a childish fantasy, but at the same time…how? How on earth would you and Dani work out?

Christmas morning begins with Flora hammering on every bedroom door and waking up the occupants with shouts of, “It’s Christmas!” and, “Look, it’s snowing!” It’s an ungodly hour that Flora’s up at, but her excitement is unstoppable and contagious, and soon enough everyone is making their way downstairs in their pajamas and dressing gowns. Charlotte starts brewing some tea. It is indeed snowing outside- brilliant white flakes are falling from the sky and the grounds of Bly are blanketed in a thin layer of white fluff. Looks like Flora got her wish of a white Christmas after all.

You settle onto the corner of the fluffiest couch, pulling your legs up underneath your and putting yourself once again on the periphery of things. You hadn’t really every gotten to sleep the night before, and when Charlotte hands you a steaming mug you take it gratefully. She gives you a sad smile and squeezes your shoulder before turning her attention to her children, who are already making quick work of their presents. Becca comes to join you on the couch, and she links her arm through yours and rests her head on your shoulder. Her presence is quiet yet comforting.

It doesn’t take long for the genuine laughter and smiles of Flora and Miles to work their magic on you. Maybe your smile isn’t quite as big as it could be, but it’s impossible to be sad around those two on Christmas morning. Charlotte and Dominic made each one of you a personalized stocking, and you’re touched. Running your fingertips along your name sewn into the red fabric of the stocking, you feel like crying again. This time, though, out of happiness.

Soon your lap is overflowing with gifts; far too many chocolates, some new outdoor gardening gloves, a beanie handmade by Hannah, some fuzzy socks, a couple bottles of far too expensive wine, bottles of bubble bath and a few bills slipped into a hastily written card from Peter. Everyone is laden down with their gifts by the time Henry announces he’ll start breakfast. Miles is already starting to put together his new train track. Flora is showing Owen, in detail, every aspect of her new dollhouse. Rebecca and Peter are having what looks like a respectful, adult conversation, his hands clasped tightly around the present she handed him. Deciding that you ought to put some of your gifts away before anything gets misplaced or mixed up, you gather up your belongings and make your way upstairs.

“Miss Jamie!”

You’re halfway up at the mid-level landing when Flora’s voice stops you. You turn to see her sprinting up the stairs, holding a present in her hands.

“Miss Jamie, you haven’t opened my gift yet!”

Grinning, you set down the rest of your gifts on the landing and take a seat on the top step. Flora sits beside and hands you her gift, wrapped up inexpertly with too much tape. It makes your heart melt a bit.

“Shall I save the wrapping paper?” Flora giggles at you like you’re the silliest person in the world. So you tear into the wrapping paper haphazardly. Inside are two handmade dolls. One with brown yarn, curled as best as possible, as hair and wearing overalls. The other with yellow hair and a purple sweater. Their hands are joined. Your breath catches.

“I had your doll already made two weeks ago,” Flora says excitedly. “But when Dani came it just made sense for you two to be holding hands. You always were holding hands!”

“Thank you Flora.” Your voice is thick with emotion. You pull the girl into a sideways hug and press a kiss to the top of her head. “I love it. I absolutely love it.”

“Jamie,” Flora pulls back from you slightly, looking up at you with wide, innocent eyes. “Why can’t you go with Dani and be princesses together?”

You huff out a laugh. “It doesn’t quite work like that, Flora.”

“But why not?” Miles is climbing up the stairs towards the pair of you. He sits down on your other side. “Don’t the two of you love each other?”

“I mean…maybe…gee I dunno, we barely know each other.”

“Mommy says true love happens like that,” Flora snaps her fingers. “She says sometimes love can take time but true love doesn’t wait for anyone.”

Miles is nodding along with his sister. “She also says love is the most powerful thing on earth.”

“I wish it were that easy,” you say, shrugging. “But some people don’t believe that two girls should be able to love each other. It’s against the law most places.”

“That’s stupid,” Miles frowns. “There shouldn’t be laws against falling in love.”

“But when Dani’s queen, she can change the laws!” Flora is suddenly excited, bouncing up and down where she sits. “Jamie it’s perfect! Dani can change everything and then the two of you can get married and live happily ever after!”

Oh to be a kid, you think. To be young and carefree, where everything can be solved just like in the movies and storybooks. “I wish it were as simple as the two of us falling in love, but it ain’t. I ain’t no good to be a princess. See, Dani’s got a country to run. She’s got a bunch of people to look after.”

“I think you’d be a perfect queen,” Flora says. “You look after us, and it’s perfectly splendid.”

You’re smiling a bit despite yourself, unable to stop from getting caught up in childish fantasy. “I think I’d be a disaster of a queen.”

“You wouldn’t!” Flora insists. “You’d be amazing! Because you’re the coolest. And because you and Dani together can do anything. Together you’re both perfectly splendid.”

Miles nods his head feverishly. “The two of you belong together, Jamie. I think you’re just scared. But you shouldn’t be! Because you love Dani, and I know Dani loves you, and there isn’t anything else to think about! If you love each other; that should be the end of it.”

Your smile fades. You sit there, between the two best children on the planet, and your brow furrows. They’re not completely out to lunch, you think. It no longer seems like a childish fantasy, but at the same time…how? How on earth would you and Dani work out? Would she have to leave the royal family? Would you have to join it? There would be so many things to think about and figure out…but at the same time, you’re miserable without her. Dani had been gone for barely twelve hours and already you’re aching. There’s a hole in your chest, there’s a piece missing. So maybe, just this once…love solving everything wasn’t completely insane?

“They’re right you know.” You startle. Charlotte had snuck up on you. She kneels down a couple stairs in front of you, taking your hands in her own. “Jamie, don’t be scared. Don’t let reason and logic talk you out of the best thing that could ever happen to you. True love happens fast, and it can be scary. But it also only happens once. If you let this get away, you’ll spend forever asking yourself what could have been.”

“You don’t…it doesn’t upset you?” You can’t look up her. “That I’m…with girls…with Dani, I mean.”

“No.” The answer is so simple, so sure. You look up then, surprised, and she’s smiling at you with such warmth you feel it right down to your core. “You’re family Jamie. All I want is to see you happy. And I have never seen you so happy as when Dani Clayton was staying with us here at Bly.” She squeezes your hands and then stands up. “Come on now, children. Let’s give Jamie some time to think.”

Charlotte takes the hands of Miles and Flora, leaving you sitting there, frozen. At the bottom of the stairs, Charlotte turns back at you and winks. It breaks your spell. You’re on feet in an instant. You’re absentmindedly picking up your things and running to your room, head filled with only two thoughts- the gift bag Dani handed over to you the night before and your crystal moonflower, still wrapped up in its box, waiting to be given to Dani.

You toss your gifts on your bed and straight to corner of the room where you had tried to hide the gift bag out of sight. You kneel down onto the floor, picking up the bag with trembling hands. Carefully, you pull out the tissue paper. There’s a card and a small box inside. As curious as you are to know what’s in the box, you open the white envelope first and look at the card. Dani’s handwriting is tidy and perfect. You decide to read the card aloud, trying to make it seem like less of a dream.

“Dear Jamie,” you start off quietly. “When I left the palace in Theonia I left almost everything behind. On a whim, I brought this along with me. It’s a family heirloom, first belonging to my great-grandmother, and passed down generation to generation. When I met you, I couldn’t stop thinking about giving this to you. Merry Christmas Jamie.”

It’s signed with love, but you don’t read that part. You need Dani to say that to you.

Shakily, you open the box. Sitting on a tiny pillow is a beautiful pendant on a chain. Your breath hitches. You pick it up reverently, feeling by the weight of it that it must be made of gold. But that’s not what knocks you breathless. That’s not what seems to mend your heart in one single flash.

It’s a moonflower.

The charm is made of gold and diamonds and it’s stunning and breathtaking for so many reasons. And with it you know. You don’t know how it’s going to work out, but you know that the universe brought Dani to you for a reason, and you’ll be damned if you let that go without a fight. You clasp the necklace behind your neck, holding your breath as you get to your feet and walk over to a mirror. It sparkles as it lays against your skin, close to your heart.

You don’t even really think about it as you strip out of your pajamas and throw on some clothes. The overalls may be the same pair you wore yesterday, but honestly you don’t care. You’re tugging on socks as quickly as you can before picking up the gift-wrapped box for Dani and running from your guest room. You’re down the stairs in a flash, throwing on your coat and tugging your new beanie down over your curls. Then you’re sprinting for the front doors, passing through as quickly as possible.

The world outside is picture perfect. Pure white snow coats the grounds and the sun is bright in the sky. You’re so caught up in your mission and the perfection around you that you don’t notice the other figure heading straight toward you until you both collide.

You fall backwards, clumsily landing on your bum in the snow. You groan in embarrassment.

“Oh gosh, Jamie are you okay?”

Your head snaps up. Dani’s there. Dani’s right there, standing in front of you, looking down with concern. You get to your feet as fast as possible, grateful you didn’t drop the gift you’re holding.

“Dani! What the…what’re you doing here?”

She smiles slightly. “I had to come back. For you. To see you. I…” she sighs. “Jamie there are so many things I need to apologize for and so many things I need to say to you and…” she freezes, eyes zeroing in on something. “You’re wearing it.”

You look down. Running from the Manor you had left your coat unbuttoned. The moonflower charm was dazzling in the winter sunshine. You glance back up at Dani. “Of course I am,” you say softly. “Dani it’s perfect. I…well, here.” You thrust your gift into her hands. “Funny thing actually.”

Dani tears at the wrapping paper much like Flora had earlier. She looks giddy as a schoolgirl and the paper goes flying. Then she opens the cardboard box. She’s much more careful as she pushes aside the tissue inside the box. She gasps.

“Jamie it’s…you bought this for me?” Dani’s looking at your like you’re her everything, and your eyes sting a bit as tears form.

“Dani, Poppins…I don’t do fairy tales. I don’t believe in storybook endings and true love’s kiss and all that happily ever after stuff. Or at least, I didn’t. Until you.” You laugh, and it’s watery. You’re feeling so much emotion; it’s overwhelming, a bit. “With you I want to believe in all of it. I want to believe that you and I are meant to be and that we’ll figure things out. I want to live happily after with you. No one has ever made me feel so…sure. So happy. No one’s ever made me trust so easily and so quickly.

“I’ve never opened up to anyone like I have to you, Poppins,” you continue. “In my life, it’s better just not to spend the time or effort on anyone at all, ya know. But with you…you’re just worth it. You’re everything. And I think your cabbie bringing you to the wrong address was fate. I think I might love you, Dani Clayton.” Tears are running down your cheeks now. “I don’t know how we’ll figure this out, but I’m here for whatever it means. I want this…I want you.”

Dani’s crying too. She cups your jaw in her hands and pulls you in for a kiss. It’s a bit of a disaster all told. You’re both crying and both laughing and you can barely keep your lips on each other. But it finishes the job of stitching your heart back together.

“I think I might love you too,” Dani says. Nothing anybody has ever said to you has meant as much or been so powerful “I shouldn’t have lied to you. I should have told you the truth right away but…I was scared.”

“I was scared too,” you admit. Your foreheads are resting against each other. She’s still holding you, and you bring up your hands, wiping her tears away with your thumbs. “I was scared of everything I was feeling.”

“I was scared it would all be too much,” Dani whispers. “I can’t turn my back on my country, not really. But I can’t leave you. I’d give it all up for you, Jamie. Just say the word and I’ll walk away from everything. I just want to be with you.”

You’re shaking your head, and you can’t resist kissing her again. “Dani, no.” You kiss her lips, and her cheeks, and anywhere you can reach. “You’re not walking away from anything. I can’t let you do that for me.”

“But…” You cut off her protests with another kiss.

“Listen to me, Dani Clayton.” You step back from her slightly. “You’re not walking away from everything for me. What you’re going to do…what _we’re_ going to do is face it all together. We’re going to figure it out together. And if that means I’m gonna be a queen too…then fuck it. Theonia is gonna have to get used to a queen like me.”

Dani’s looking at you in awe. “Do you mean that?” You nod. Dani pulls you into a hug, holding you against her so tightly. “Jamie…I can’t…you’d be leaving all this behind. It’s not…that’s too much to ask of you.”

“What, you think I’m just going to spend the rest of my days sitting in some stuffy castle, thumbing my nose at commoners? There’s going to have to be some compromise Dani. I don’t know the first thing about politics or… _princess-ing_. And yeah, you’re gonna have to let me spend time with my family here at Bly. But I can’t be apart from you. It killed me last night, not being in your arms. So…” you take a deep breath. “Can we compromise? Can we figure this whole thing out together?”

It takes a moment before Dani’s smiling widely, more brilliant than the sun. “We’ll be part time royals,” she laughs. “I’ll keep my mom on as advisor and I’ll talk to Shirley…we’ll convince the courts. They’ll have to agree with it because if they don’t…well then they don’t get any royals at all.”

“You think that’ll work?”

Dani shrugs. “Honestly I don’t really care. If they say no then you and I will just leave. We’ll be together and that’s all that really matters to me. Except…” Dani frowns. “The one caveat is that I do have to be married. I can’t keep the throne, even part time, without that.”

The next thing you know Dani’s dropping to one knee in the snow, and the wind is knocked out of you. Your heart is absolutely pounding in your chest.

“Jamie Taylor.” Dani’s smile is sure, and it calms you a bit. There’s snow falling all around the two of you, and you really do feel like you’re in a storybook. “I love you. And whatever comes next, I want to face it with you. And maybe we can’t really be married but…I also really don’t care. We’ll know. And we’ll make it work. Will you marry me?”

You’re too overcome with emotion to speak. All you can do is smile and nod, and Dani springs to her feet. She wraps you up in a hug and lifts your boots off the ground, twirling you. You crying and laughing and everything feels like a dream. There are cheers and clapping, and as Dani sets you down again you look over your shoulder to see everyone else standing in front of Bly Manor. You see nothing but smiles as they cheer for you, and you can’t believe the amount of love you feel. Your arms are wrapped around behind Dani’s neck, and you pull her down for a kiss.

“This is crazy,” you whisper in between kisses.

“It is,” Dani agrees. Then she laughs. “I’ve never been happier.”

“Happy Christmas, Poppins.”

“Merry Christmas, Jamie.”

And then you’re kissing again. The snow falls and the scene looks like something from a snow globe. You could keep kissing Dani forever, but then the two of you are surrounded by your friends- your family- and everyone wants a hug. Everyone wants to congratulate you and kiss your cheek and then Miles throws the first snowball and everyone laughs as a scuffle breaks out.

There’s snow on your hat and in your boots and it’s the craziest engagement scene you think you’ve ever heard of. But it’s absolutely perfect. You’re spending Christmas with your family and the woman you love and really, it just doesn’t get any better than that.

\---

\---

Before you know it, an entire year has passed. One whole trip around the sun. A year has passed, and you’re living in a castle on an island you hadn’t even heard of the year before. You’re not technically a queen, but the nation of Theonia recognizes you as Lady Jamie Clayton, and really that’s all you need.

It’s been a whirlwind of a year. There were struggles. Dani’s mom was none too pleased that her daughter had chosen you. You still weren’t sure if it was more because you were a girl or because you were a gardener with a bit of a past. But eventually, at Dani’s insistence, she slowly gave in. The courts had been more difficult to please. They wanted to strip Dani of the crown, but the people of Theonia loved Dani, and more surprisingly, they seemed to love you. Apparently your first public appearance where you unwittingly cussed out the cabinet minister- you didn’t know he was the cabinet minister- for placing his hand far too low on Dani’s back and not taking no for an answer won you many an admirer. Gift shops immediately started placing your image on trinkets, and the amount of letters you received from admirers drove Dani crazy.

Not everything had been smooth sailing between you and Dani either. Turned out there was a lot to being a royal, even part time. Dani’s schedule was beyond hectic, you weren’t used to being in the public eye, and both of you were more than a little stressed. You missed Bly like crazy, and even though Dani promised you would get to visit the first year had just been too crazy. But at the end of every day you both found each other, and loved each other. You calmed her down, and Dani made you laugh. You both brought out the best in each other, and you were still happier than you’d ever been.

“Well, that was a disaster.” Apparently every year Theonia held a Christmas Eve gala. Somewhere between gagging on caviar, tripping over your stupidly high heels and knocking a poor elderly man into a bowl of punch, and misunderstanding and therefore offending a French official, you decided you really weren’t cut out for galas.

Dani however, is grinning. “That was the best gala I’ve ever been to.”

You snort. “Why? Because I made a complete fool of myself?” You’re trying to reach the zipper behind you to get out of your dress and getting increasingly frustrated as you failed to grip it. You were ready to get out of the dress and just relax.

“No.” Suddenly Dani’s pressed up behind you. She slowly drags your zipper down, fingers setting your skin on fire as she does. “It was the best because you were there with me.”

You step out of your dress and turn around. Dani’s eyes are travelling up and down your body hungrily. And then you’re kissing and falling onto the bed together. What starts out heated soon turns soft. You’re caressing each other, every touch filled with love. She makes you feel amazing, better than anyone ever has. And when you bring her to her climax, Dani screams your name, repeating that she loves you, she loves you, she loves you.

Crazy as the year had been, you don’t regret it for a second.

You’re starting to drift off in Dani’s arms when you remember something. “We’re still flying out tomorrow right?” The two of you had set your first vacation in a year, planning to spend Christmas and Dani’s birthday back at Bly.

“Actually, about that…” Dani sounds apologetic. “I wasn’t able to reschedule my meeting with the department of labour like I thought. So I had to push back out flight two weeks. I’m so sorry Jamie.”

You’re disappointed, but you still get to spend Christmas with the woman you love. “It’s no biggie.” She still looks concerned. “For real, Poppins, I get it. Let’s get some sleep before the morning. I love you.”

\---

Christmas morning in Theonia is all grey skies and snow drifts. Dani’s gnawing at her bottom as she looks out your bedroom window. “Wow. Things got bad last night.”

“Guess it’s a good thing we aren’t flying out today after all, huh? We might’ve been grounded.”

Dani seems somewhat distracted and jittery all through the morning of exchanging gifts. You chalk it up to her being nervous that your first Christmas as a royal isn’t going as smoothly as she hoped. But you honestly don’t care. You’re content to open gifts and cuddly into her as you pop _White Christmas_ into the VCR. You’re about halfway through the movie when the bell that signals a guest being let up to the doors chimes.

“Thank goodness,” Dani breathes, and you’re confused until you’re hit with a grinning eight year old launching herself into your arms full blast.

“Flora!” you cry excitedly.

The girl is talking a mile a minute and won’t loosen her arms from their grip around your neck. You’re caught off guard when you’re hit again, this time with a handsome eleven year old boy hugging your side tightly.

“Jamie I’ve missed you!” Miles says emphatically.

And then they’re all there- Hannah and Owen, who squeeze you in a sandwiched hug while you all cry for almost five minutes, Rebecca who looks more radiant than ever, Dominic and Charlotte who feel like your surrogate parents, and even Henry and Peter. Everyone is there, and after the chaos of the greetings and the hugs die down a bit, your eyes seek out your wife.

“I hated keeping this from you!” Dani exclaims. “I’ve had this planned for months…we’re all going to fly back and spend New Year’s at Bly. Is that okay?”

You’re laughing. “Okay? Dani, this is amazing! Thank you!” You throw your arms around her and kiss her soundly, only pulling apart when Owen clears his throat.

“Let’s keep things appropriate for the children, shall we?”

But everyone’s laughing and in high spirits. The Christmas luncheon was spent in the great hall, everyone sitting together around one long table. You understand now why so much food was brought in for the holidays. Lady Karen even joins you for the dinner, and she cracks a smile or two at Owen’s puns. You think this is how you’d like every Christmas to be- just one big, happy, slightly too loud family.

“I’ve got one more gift for you,” Dani tells you quietly as everyone is suffering from a food coma later one. She hands you a small box.

“If it’s another charm, I got news for you,” you tug at the moonflower around your neck, “I ain’t taking this one off.”

Dani pecks you on the lips. “You better not. But come on, open it silly.”

So you flip the lid of the box open. Inside there’s a key. You’re a bit confused. “Is this the key to your heart?”

“You found that ages ago,” Dani says sweetly. “No, it’s a key to our vacation cottage. I’m sorry it took so long to arrange.”

Apparently every generation of royals in Theonia got to decide on their own cottage and build it from the ground up. You told Dani you didn’t much care where it was built, as long as it wasn’t in Ireland. The music just got to you a little bit.

“Well, thank you for the key,” you grin. “When do I get to see the house?”

“When we fly back to Bly in a few days.” She says it so casually it takes you far too long to catch on.

“Wait…what…what d’ya mean when we fly back to Bly?” You’re sputtering. You look around, and everyone is watching you with knowing smiles on their faces.

“Turns out the grounds of Bly Manor are pretty darn large,” Dani smiles. “I was able to negotiate with the Wingrave’s, and we have our own little piece of land there. The cottage is finished now, and we can go there whenever we like.”

“Are you…” you swallow. “Are ya serious? We can go back to Bly whenever we want?”

Dani nods. “Is it…is that okay? You wouldn’t have preferred like…California or France or something?”

“No way!” You kiss your wife deeply. “This is amazing. How do you always know exactly the right thing to make me happy?”

“It makes me happy too,” Dani admits. “Everything that you love…I love it too, Jamie. Merry Christmas.”

You knew there were tears in your eyes. Dani had turned you into one big old softy, alright. But there was so much to be thankful for. You had an amazing woman who loved you deeply, and you had found a family that accepted you without question. Your heart felt so full of happiness that you thought it was due to burst at any moment. You looked around the room, seeing everyone there that you cared for the most. It was perfectly splendid. Finally, your eyes settled back on your beautiful wife, your queen.

“Happy Christmas Dani. I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for giving this story a chance! I know it's just a silly little thing with an unbelievable plotline, but I'm grateful you decided to read it.
> 
> If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a lovely one. If you don't, I hope you enjoy the upcoming weekend! And to everyone, I wish you all the health and happiest to close out this year and carry over to 2021!

**Author's Note:**

> Oddly enough I claim to hate those cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. I claim my favourite is actually Die Hard. Yet the evidence overwhelmingly seems to refute those claims, doesn't it?
> 
> Thanks for reading if you've done so. If you haven't, I'm talking to myself again, aren't I? If I'm not talking to myself then you- yes, you, dear reader- are exceptional. Thank you for giving it a shot!


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